


Up to the Test

by chatnoiristhebest5



Series: Multichapter [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Identity Reveal, Adrien POV, Aged-Up Character(s), Dorks in Love, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth Identity Reveal, Gabriel POV (but not often), Hawk Moth has a mysterious helper, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I realize now that there is also angst, I started this before the New York Special came out, Is Hawk Moth's mysterious helper really just HIS mysterious helper?, Lots of blushing, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Identity Reveal, Marinette POV, New York City, Not "just a friend" anymore huh Adrien?, Original Akumatized Characters, Original Female Character - Freeform, Seriously though I cannot write slow burn with these two, So much for a quick write, They're 17, This is a lot longer than I thought it would be, We get enough slow and pinning with show don't we?, You'll quickly see that I write a lot of self-indulgent fluff, but not a lot of angst, slow burn? never heard of her
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:48:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 28,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25116403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chatnoiristhebest5/pseuds/chatnoiristhebest5
Summary: When 17 year old Marinette finds out she would be going to New York to see a fashion expo with Adrien, she's thrilled, but of course also a complete nervous wreck. Even after three years, she can barely keep her cool around him, and spending a week with him? Without Alya to keep her sane? Well, it was going to be tough. Everything seems to be going well until someone ends up akumatized. But how in the world did Hawk Moth end up in New York City?(AN: I started this before the New York Special came out.)
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Multichapter [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1970425
Comments: 94
Kudos: 103





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing on here, so I'm pretty nervous. I hope you like it!

Marinette wasn't sure she'd heard him right.

"Marinette?" Adrien asked again. He was standing next to her as she closed her locker for the last time that school year. "Will you be ok with accompanying me in New York City for the fashion expo?" He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his hand rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "It's next week, so there isn't much time to ask your parents, and I get it if you don't want to go--" 

Marinette laughed, "Don't want to go? Of course I would want to go. It's a perfect chance to spend time with you ah-as friends, of course. And it would be great to stare at yo--at, um, the different fashion. You know, get some inspiration." She felt her cheeks warm, _Oh, gosh, Marinette, keep it together._ She cleared her throat, "I'll ask my parents."

Adrien's face light up with a wide grin, his perfectly straight and white teeth practically blinding her, "Great! Let me know what they say."

As he walked away, Marinette's knees wobble beneath her and she melted into her locker door with a lovesick smile on her face. Adrien had asked her to go with him to New York. She was going to have to convince her parents to let her go.

Marinette entered the bakery, straightening herself to full height, and marching straight to where her parents were working on a new patch of cookies. She was prepared to have to beg to go to New York when her mother said, "Mr. Agreste's assistant called. She asked if you would join Adrien to a fashion expo in New York next week." Marinette nodded slowly, about to open her mouth to speak, but before she could, her mother continued, "Well? What are you waiting for? Go pack!" 

Marinette's jaw dropped, "Really? Thank you Papa, thank you Maman!" She then ran upstairs to her room to pack, leaving her parents to smiled at their daughter warmly. She was growing up fast.

____________________________________________

Adrien lay on his white couch, his legs, too long to fit, dangling over one of the arm rests. Plagg floated next to him, chewing on a large chunk of Camembert. Adrien sighed as he stared at the ceiling, silent.

"Kid, if you sigh one more time..." Plagg grumbked in warning. 

"Sorry, Plagg, I'm just worried."

"About what?"

"That she might not want to go, or that she can't go, or that someone will get akumatized while I'm away and Ladybug won't be able to fight them without me, or that Ladybug will get hurt during an akuma attack, or--"

"Kid, relax," Plagg coaxed, "You're stressing too much, you know what helps with stressing?"

"Camembert?" Adrien asked, turning to face Plagg.

"Well, yeah, but also a nice, night time jog." 

Adrien smiled at Plagg, then sat up. "Plagg, claws out!"

Soon Chat Noir was running on all fours across rooftops, patrolling, but also just trying to keep his mind busy with anything other than his worries. He watched cars flashing by, and listened to the sounds of the city at night. Most people were already inside, having a late dinner or sleeping, but someone stood, leaning against the rails of a familiar bakery up ahead. Of course, he went to investigate.

He landed on the balcony a few feet away from Marinette, starling her with his glowing green eyes. When she rolled her eyes at him and relaxed against the railing again, he walked closer to her and leaned against the railing too, almost shoulder to shoulder with her. "So, Princess, why are you out here so late?"

"I can say the same to you," she replied.

He chuckled, "Yeah, that's true. But I'm on patrol."

"When it's close to midnight?" She asked, quizzically raising an eyebrow. 

"Wait, it's that late already?" He glanced down at the city streets. Cars were scarce, and the night air was still. "Oh, I supposed it is."

Marinette sighed, "What's on your mind, Chat?"

"Stuff." 

"You don't wanna talk about it?"

"Not really." He paused for a while, then turned to face her, "What about you?"

"I'm just," she let out a loud exhale, "I'm going to fly on an airplane for the first time next week, and I'm going to go to a country I've only seen shows of in a city I've always dreamed of going."

"That's sounds nice."

"It does until you realize how terrified you are of being so far away from home and that you've always been terrified by airplanes because of all the things that can go wrong." She shrugged, but Chat Noir saw the fear in her eyes, "I guess I'm just worried."

He fought the urge to wrap his arms around her in a tight hug, but set his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently, "Don't worry, Princess, I'm sure everything will be fine."

"Thanks, Chat."

She turned to face him completely, then wrapped her arms around him. It took him off guard, but he soon wrapped his own arms around her, rubbing small circles in the small of her back. When she pulled apart she thanked him again, then disappeared into her room, leaving him alone. He sighed, then started to make his way back to his room. 

Once he reached his window and his feet touched the ground, he detransformed. He staggered to his bed and plopped down, staring at the ceiling. He checked the time, 12:55am. He needed to sleep.

____________________________________________

Marinette ran down the stairs, lugging her suitcase behind her. She couldn't believe how fast the week breezed by. She supposed that when summer vacation started that's how it always was. Adrien's body guard waited for her next to the car as she hugged and kissed her parents goodbye. He took her suitcase from her, and opened the door, closing it gently once she was sitting inside.

Adrien greeted her with a friendly smile, one that practically melted her insides, then glanced out the window. It seemed like he was searching for something, but Marinette didn't know what it could've been. The car started moving before she realized she didn't have her seatbelt secured around her, so she then frantically pulled at it, causing it to whip out and hit her in the face. As she rubbed her cheek, Adrien reach over her, gently pulling the seatbelt and securing it around her.

"You have to be careful with that one, it often does that," he told her quietly, "Sorry, I should've warned you." 

Marinette stared at the young man, pretty much sure she was the color of her super suit, unable to say anything for a bit. When the car halted to a stop, the driver grumbling as a car cut him off, she was snapped back to her senses. "Er, n-no, you don't have to apologize, I shouldn't have been so agressive with it," she stammered.

Adrien's eyes flickered to where her hand was still rubbing her cheek. He gently pulled it away from her face, examining the hurt area, his face so close to Marinette she felt that she might spontaneously combust. That was possible, wasn't it? He gently prodded her cheek, making her wince slightly. "Sorry," he whispered. He frowned at her cheek, his eyebrows furrowing with worry, "I hope it doesn't bruise. Does it hurt if it's not touched?" 

"No, it doesn't really hurt when touched either," Marinette breathed. He was too close, and it was making it hard for her to think.

He moved away, his back against his seat once more, "Well, hopefully it'll be ok."

Marinette nodded, relieved that she could breathe almost completely normally again. At that moment the car stopped completely, and the bodyguard edited the car, opening Adrien's door and moving to take the luggage out of the car. Marinette slid out of the car with Adrien taking her hands to help her out, then stared at the airport in front of her. People bustled in and out, all of them dragging long at least one suit case. Many different languages could be heard, French, English, Spanish, Dutch, the list went on.

She didn't realized she was gaping at it all until Adrien let out a small laugh and reach over, gently using his finger to close her jaw. It was then she noticed that his hand was still holding hers, and she worried that he'd hear her heart pounding in her chest. They made their way inside, checking in and weighing their bags in a much shorter line than the others, one that was labeled first class. They then got in an elevator, which took them up a couple floors, then they made their way through security checks, and finally sat down on some chairs, waiting for the boarding of the plane to start. It wasn't until then that Adrien had finally let go of her hand, and she immediately missed it. Not long after, they were on the airplane, preparing for take off.

Marinette couldn't think straight. While Adrien looked at ease, staring outside the window of the airplane, Marinette's foot tapped the ground, unable to stay still. Her mindwas riddled with anxiety, she'd never been on a plane before. Sure, she'd been on trains, but those were different, they stayed on the ground (unless you counted the Startrain incident). Planes, on the other hand, had a lift off and a landing, they traveled through the air, where storms could hit and things could go terribly wrong. Her hands gripped the armrests tightly, her knuckles white. Suddenly, a warm hand gently squeezed hers. She turned her head to see Adrien giving her a soft, reassuring smile. 

The airplane rumbled, then a voice on the intercom spoke telling them to prepare for take off. Soon the airplane started to move, slowly at first, then it gained speed. Not long after, they were traveling incredibly fast, the airplane shuddering under the speed. Then, Marinette felt it. Her stomach dropped as the airplanes tires left the ground, launching itself into the air. Adrien's hand squeezed hers a little more tightly, his reassuring smile returning. Then, as if nothing had ever happened, they were in the air. 

Marinette breathed a sigh of relief, happy that lift off was successful. She was about to reach over and hug Adrien, but stopped herself. Who ever hugged after a lift off? She would celebrate when they were safely in New York City. 

____________________________________________

A couple of hours into the trip, ladies pushing carts came, and on them where food and drinks. It was lunch time. Adrien knew Plagg would be hungry by then, so he wasn't surprised when the Kwami peeked at him from under his seat. Sneaking him a piece of Camembert, he waved for him to hide, then glanced at Marinette. With a silent sigh of relief that she didn't see, he then told the ladies when he'd want to eat and drink as they served him and Marinette.

Adrien saw Marinette staring at the food in awe, then remembered that she'd never been on a plane before. She must've been surprised that they could serve full, mostly decent meals. He smiled at his clueless friend, then moved to start his meal. 

Not long after he'd finished eating, Marinette dozed off. Her head slid on her seat, and dropped onto his shoulder. He only smiled at her fondly before plugging in some earphones then placing his head on told of hers and closing his eyes. Before he knew it, they were being woken up to the plane landing. 

As the plane's tires skidded the ground and finally came to a halt, Marinette beamed, clapping with the others to celebrate a successful flight. They waited to be escorted out by his bodyguard, then made their way down the the luggage claim. Marinette studied each suitcase carefully, the tip of her tongue sticking out ever so slightly as she stayed focused. Adrien stiffled a laugh as he stared at her. All of this really was new to her. 

Once they got their bags and passed through all the security checks, they stepped outside into New York City, just as the sun was starting to set. City lights slowly turned on as the entered the limo that awaited them, cars and taxis zoomed by. It was rush hour so traffic was terrible, but Adrien didn't mind. He was sitting in a car with his friend beside him, gawking at the tall buildings and neon lights as they drove. He smiled at Marinette, thinking that he couldn't be happier to have her with him in New York City.

If only his father could see how happy he was.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now Marinette and Adrien are in New York City, excited but also nervous. Marinette is hoping she doesn't embarrass herself too much, but with having to share a hotel room with Adrien, well, it's not what she expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a short chapter sorry!

Upon arriving at the luxurious hotel, Marinette didn't know what to expect. However, the one thing that she had expected, having a separate room, was not what ended up happening. Of course the room she was to share with Adrien was huge. There were two large beds with silk pillow cases and fine Egyptian cotton sheets, separated by a chestnut wood night stand. On the other side of the room was a couch, in front of it a large TV, with an assortment of movies to watch inside the table under it. To the side of that, across from where she was standing, were sliding glass doors that led to a decent sized balcony, capturing the view of the glistening city lights as well as the Statue of Liberty it the distance. They had a large bathroom, too, with a double vanity sink, a large tub, and a tall shower with glass doors that practically sparkled they were so clean.

There was nothing Marinette could possibly complain about, except for the fact that she had to share the room with Adrien. Under any other circumstance, she wouldn't have minded, but because she had a hungry Kwami to feed, and one that she would need to speak to for advice, she wasn't very comfortable with the idea. How would she feed and speak to Tikki? Would she have to stay outside on the balcony? Would she need to stay awake for a long time? Would she have to pretend to use the bathroom? 

Marinette groaned internally, and set down her small backpack on one of the beds. She plopped down, resisting the urge to lay on her back, and stared off into space. She was tired, but she needed to unpack. She noticed a large walk-in closet, and realized that she'd have to shared that with Adrien as well. She was glad that her super suit was magical and didn't need to be hung on a hanger in the closet. 

She glanced at Adrien to grabbed their suitcases, leaving hers next to the bed she claimed and setting his on top of the other bed. He started to unpack, so, despite not really wanting to, Marinette decided it would be the best thing to do. They unpacked in silence, besides the occasional "excuse me" to enter the walk-in closet. Marinette desperately wanted to say something, anything, but her mind drew a blank. 

_Great, you're finally alone with the one person you rarely ever get to speak to, and you can't figure out what to say,_ she thought to herself.

"So," Adrien said, breaking the ice, "have you ever been to New York?"

Marinette shook her head, "No, I hadn't even been on an airplane until today."

"Oh, that's cool. What did you think of it?"

"Um, well, it was pretty nerve wracking," she said, turning to face him and shifting her weight from on foot to the next, "Take off was pretty scary."

He nodded as he put another hanger in the closet, "Yeah, you never really get used to it." After a pause, he continued, "You look like you're almost done, how about we watch a movie?"

Marinette zipped up her finally empty suitcase and put it on the ground, "Sure."

They made their way the couch, sitting next to each other and trying to pick a movie. They finally decided to go with a classic, _The Sound of Music._ Marinette hadn't watched the movie before, but Adrien assured her that it was a cute movie filled with catchy tunes. Marinette wished she could've stayed awake for the entire movie, but it was long, and she was tired. Despite her efforts to keep her heavy eyelids open, she feel asleep against Adrien. Smiling at her, he wrapped his arm around her, as he too, slowly drifted to sleep.

Marinette woke up to Adrien stirring uncomfortably. She looked at him and saw his face was contorted in pain and he was drenched in cold sweat. He mumbled incoherently, but didn't wake up. It was like he was stuck in a nightmare. Terrified, Marinette gently nudged him, trying to wake him up. It didn't work. She tried again, nudging him a little more forcefully, "Adrien, Adrien, wake up." His eyes flew open and he say up straight panting. His eyes were filled with horror, as though he'd seen someone he loved in pain. She gently rubbed his arm, coaxing him, "Hey, hey, Adrien, I'm here, it was all just a dreamed." He turned to face her warm tears rolling down his cheeks as he wrapped his arms around her in a bone crushing hug.

"I'm so glad you're ok," he whispered, his voice trembling.

His whole body shook with each sob, his breath trembling and ragged. Whatever he'd seen, it had truly upset him, and Marinette wondered if that happened to him every night. When the pulled apart, his arms didn't leave her, as though she was the only thing keeping him away from the nightmare. She wanted to ask if he always got nightmares, and almost wanted to know what he'd dreamt about, but thought better of it. If it had affected him that much, recounting it wouldn't do any good. She checked the time. 3:47am.

Adrien looked tired, but like he was too scared to go back to sleep. So, before she could overthink anything, Marinette asked, "Would it make you feel better if I sang you to sleep maybe?" Adrien nodded, hugging again, and pulling her close to his chest. Marinette opened her mouth, then began to sing softly to him, 

_"Blackbird singing in the dead of night,_

_Take these broken wings and learn to fly,_

  
_All your life,_

  
_You were only waiting for this moment to arise._

_Blackbird singing in the dead of night,_

  
_Take these sunken eyes and learn to see,_

  
_All your life,_

  
_You were only waiting for this moment to be free._

_Blackbird fly, blackbird fly_

  
_Into the light of a dark black night._

_Blackbird fly, blackbird fly_

  
_Into the light of a dark black night._

_Blackbird singing in the dead of night,_

  
_Take these broken wings and learn to fly,_   
_All your life_

  
_You were only waiting for this moment to arise,_

  
_You were only waiting for this moment to arise,_

  
_You were only waiting for this moment to arise."_

Before long, Adrien was sleeping soundly again, his arms wrapped around Marinette tightly. Not long after, Marinette was asleep as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaahhhhh fluff! Also, poor baby Adrien. Again, sorry for the very short chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the fashion expo happening within a few days, preparations for the Gabriel Agreste stand begin. On the way to the large indoor space rented for the event, chaos errupts. People rush out if their vehicles, screaming as the run to safety. Adrien pales. There was no way it could be an akuma, could it?

The next morning Marinette woke up to find herself still in Adrien's arms as the shrill sound of an alarm rang. Adrien shifted, still half asleep, an annoyed expression scrunching up his face. The alarm continued to ring, and finally Adrien's eyes flew open, then he looked down and saw Marinette staring right back up at him. His cheeks reddened, and he quickly let go of her, muttering an apology before standing up and hurrying to turn off the alarm. 

Marinette watched him from the couch, her face flushed, trying to calm down her heart. When Adrien turned off the alarm, he walked back to her, sitting down next to her, but leaving space between them. Plenty of space. He glanced at her, his hand reaching the back of his neck, as he struggled to say something. Anything.

Finally he sighed and forced himself to make eye contact, "Erm, sorry about yesterday, I was kind of...out if it." He couldn't keep the eye contact for long and his eyes dropped back down to stare intently at the hardwood floor.

"You have nothing to be sorry for!" Marinette said, a little more quickly and loudly than she meant to have done. She cleared her throat quietly then continued, "You had a nightmare, and it must've been terrible to leave you so jarred. I'm just glad I was able to help you, really."

"Are you sure it wasn't too much of a pain?" He asked tentatively.

Was that how he felt about everything? That when he got help he was too much of a pain? Marinette stared at her friend, wondering why in the world he would think it was a pain when she got to help him for once, instead of him constantly helping her. He was always so helpful, always putting over people's needs before his. It reminded her of her Kitty. Always pushing her out of the line of fire, even if it meant he would get hit.

Marinette shook her head, "Of course it wasn't too much of a pain. It wasn't a pain at all."

Adrien's lips slowly curled into a lopsided, grateful smile. "Ok, good. Thank you, Marinette, really. I'm lucky to have you as my friend."

Marinette smiled back, trying to ignore the faint pang she felt in her heart at the word "friend". 

A knock came from the door, causing them both to jump. Adrien calmed himself down then called to the door, looking through the peep hole to see who it was. He then opened the door, "Hi, Nathalie!"

"Hello, Adrien," she said with her usual calm and cool demeanor, "You have some breakfast coming for you and your friend, then you have to get ready so we can start to prepare for the expo. Be ready by eleven." She scanned her tablet to see if there was anything else she might've missed, then she turned of her heel and left.

Adrien closed the door then heard another knock almost immediately. He opened it to find room service, with a cart that held some pastries, coffee, tea, eggs, toast, and fruit along with some jam and butter to put in the toast. Adrien sighed, he couldn't eat most of what was in front of him. He thanked the lady as she finished setting down a couple of trays that held the food. Soon she was gone and the door closed behind her.

Adrien glanced at Marinette. She was looking at all the food as though she didn't know where to start. He couldn't help but smile. Turning back to his plate, he ate the eggs, that was all he could really eat. He poured himself some tea, putting a little bit if cream in it, but of course he wasn't meant to put very much, so his tea was still bitter. Even many years later he couldn't get used to bitter tea. 

Marinette was having a danish with some tea, but she didn't have much else. He wanted to ask why, but he figured she might not have been much of morning person. He wouldn't be either, if it weren't for his photoshoots. 

Marinette's hair wasn't very messy, though her hair rubber bands looked loose. She rubbed her sleepy eyes, but for someone who didn't seem like a morning person, she look stunning. Adrien found himself staring and smiling at her, and when she caught his eye, he the room was suddenly very warm. He quickly looked away, trying to make it seem like he had just been looking around the room, but when he glanced at Marinette again, an adorable blush sat across her cheeks, highlighting her small freckles.

He shook his head. Since when did he start thinking about his friend like that?

Meanwhile Marinette tried hard not to stare at Adrien. His shirt was a bit wrinkled, his hair was unkempt, but somehow that made him look even better. She didn't get it. How could one person hold such beauty? And when she saw him smiling at her? She forgot how to breathe. 

Who could blame her? Everyone knew the guy was hot. He was a freaking model for crying out loud! And over the past few years, as he became a young man, he grew taller, towering over her when they stood, he became more chiseled and muscular, his jawline became more defined, but his smile, well, it only got better. 

She remembered the night before, when he pulled her closer to his chest as she sang him to sleep. Even though she tried to focus on the words of the song, she couldn't help but realized how warn he felt. She had felt his heart beat slowing as he drifted to sleep, his tense muscles as they slowly relaxed. He felt his breath tingling her ear, and his arms around her. She had felt so safe, so warm, so content.

It felt so familiar, but it couldn't have been. The only other person who had ever hugged her like that had been Chat Noir, when she was Ladybug. And there was _no way_ that Chat and Adrien were the same person.

"Erm, I'm gonna go change in the closet, you can go and use the bathroom," Adrien said, bringing her back to the present. 

"Oh, uh, yeah, that's perfect. I'll go grab a change of clothes."

Once she was in the bathroom, Tikki whizzed in front of her. "Hi, Marinette!" Marinette handed her a piece of danish she'd saved.

"Hey, Tikki."

"Soooo, I see you an Adrien got pretty close," she wiggled her eyebrows teasingly. Marinette's cheeks turned the same color as her Kwami.

"Ugh, Tikki, no, please don't remind me."

Tikki smiled, pacing her hand on Marinette's forearm, "It's ok, Marinette, I know you were just trying to comfort him from his nightmares. I was just teasing."

Marinette sighed as she pulled on a sundress. She had designed it herself, using patterns and colors she wouldn't normally use, to push herself out of her comfort zone. It was a flowy, light blue fabric with floral print that was knee length and off the shoulders. It was definitely something that pushed her to try news things, and she figured, what better place to try new things than New York City? 

Over in the closet, Plagg whined to Adrien about how there wasn't any Camembert and that the only cheese they had on the trays of food that was decent was brie. Adrien simply rolled his eyes, but the action wasn't seen by Plagg because he'd been putting on his shirt. He heard Marinette open the bathroom door, and hissed at Plagg to hide. He then stepped out, to see Marinette in possibly the most beautiful dress he'd ever seen. Or maybe that was because Marinette we wearing it. 

_Snap out of it!_ He chastised himself.

But he couldn't help it. Her hair was styled in a messy bun,h dress was perfect, and the way he smiled at him shyly would've made anyone's heart race. He suddenly felt under dressed, in a simple t-shirt and jeans.

He couldn't tear his gaze from her. His eyes were transfixed. He had to have been under a spell. She was just so beautiful.

Marinette blushed, "Thank you."

Had he said that last part out loud? 

He tugged at the collar of his shirt. Why was it so hot?

A knock at the door saved him from further embarrassment. He opened it to find Nathalie and his body guard, ready to escort them down to the car. Was it eleven already?

In the car, being so close to Marinette, he had to force himself to look outside his window, to think of something, anything really. He needed to distract himself. But it didn't work. They were so close, sitting side by side, Nathalie in the passenger seat of the limo. Even if he tried to talk to her, she wouldn't hear him. The only person there was to talk to was Marinette. Of course there was Plagg too, but that would reveal who he was.

He looked at Marinette. She was staring out the window, her cheek propped up on one hand, the other in the space between them. He had the urge to put his hand on her much smaller one, but he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. And he didn't want to lead her on or anything. He was in love with Ladybug, not Marinette. 

He sighed as he stared outside his own window. A blur of cars, trees, and buildings zoomed past. He loved Ladybug, but over the years after so much rejection, he tried to find someone else. Kagami hadn't worked out. In the end, they were too alike in some ways and two different in others. It was better for then to remain as friends.

He hadn't tried to see anyone after that, no one had piqued his interest or told him that they were interested. Well, at least no one with other motives. Lila had been interested, but she revolted him. She lied with every breath, and hurt people he cared about. Hurt Marinette. It had taken him a long time to finally step up and tell her to stop touching him so much, but boy was he relieved when he did. There had been Chloe, but they were childhood best friends, she was kind of like family. In the end, she got over him and respected his boundaries, which surprised many of their classmates.

"I can respect boundaries, you know," she had huffed.

Of course that didn't stop her from calling him "Adrikins".

The vehicle stopped suddenly, and the sound of honking around him grew louder. He focused on the outside. What was happening? Then he heard screams, people rushing out if their cars and running away. His head whished to face Marinette, and he grabbed her hand, taking her out the car and running. 

"Keep running," he called out to her, letting go. "I forgot something in the car."

"Wha---" 

He didn't hear the rest of her question as he ran back, turning the corner into an alley. Plagg flew out of his pocket. "Adrien, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Plagg, claws out!"

____________________________________________

Ladybug landed on a rooftop, assessing the damage. There was definitely an akumatized villain in New York. But how? She pushed the question aside as she followed the smashed cars like a hunter tracking their prey. It was a good thing she was in New York, but she knew she'd have to work alone. She might've been lucky, but not lucky enough to have her Kitty around to help her.

Just as she thought that she heard a familiar drawl behind her, "Hello, m'lady. Fancy seeing you here." She turned, her mouth agape as she witnessed her black leather clad partner, his signature smirk painted on his masked face. "What have I told you before? We're meant to be."

She clamped her mouth shut. Yep, that was him alright, not some hallucination. 

She heard another scream near her, then a loud roar. It was time to get to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter down! I know I don't really have an updating schedule, but in just trying to update whenever I can...sorry guys.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An akuma is on the loose...in New York City? Sure, it didn't make any sense to the heroes of Paris, but that didn't mean hey weren't going to fight it. Just another day of duty, this time in an unfamiliar place.

"I am Trafficker!" 

The akuma roared, shooting a beam of light from their watch. The person it hit stopped, a red light in front of them. The akuma shot at another civilian, who then ran forward, a green light in front of them, about to ram into the person who was unable to move. Before that could happen, Ladybug swooped in and grabbed the person with the green light in front of them, placing them in an alley. They ran into a wall, causing the superheroine to wince sympathetically, then, like a video game character, their legs continued to move despite not being able to go anywhere.

When Ladybug returned to where the supervillain, Trafficker, was standing, he was shooting beams of light at Chat Noir, who kept him distracted by running around and yelling the most horrible puns he could possibly create. Ladybug rolled her eyes at her partner, a small grateful smile tugging at her lips. She was glad he was there to help.

The seventeen-year-old's eyes scanned the area of action, trying to figure out how to get to the watch that held the akuma. She was running out of time, Chat was bound to tire soon enough. She glanced at him and saw his speed had slowed slightly. She needed to hurry.

She grew her yoyo in the air, calling out to summon her lucky charm. Tumbling down into her arms came... A magnifying glass? She stared at the object in her hands then her gaze darted about, trying to create a plan. Then it hit her. _Of course!_

"Chat!" She called out, launching the small object to him. 

If it weren't for his crazy reflexes, he may not have caught it. He stared down at it for a second, before jumping behind a chimney and barely escaping the beam of light that shot at him. Ladybug hoped he'd know what to do. 

When Chat appeared again, throwing the magnifying glass toward a lamp post at an angle, she frowned. _What was he thinking?_ The frown slowly up turned into a smile as she saw the magnifying glass bounce back. The glass flew through the air, just _so_ , that when the light reflected on it, it blinded the akuma.

As he staggered back, clutching his eyes, Chat threw this baton at the watch, breaking it. The akuma flew out, then Ladybug flung her yoyo at it, capturing it and cleansing it. She yanked her lucky charm into her grasp then threw it into the air, letting the miraculous cure right everything. As she watched the place where the akuma had flown away, Chat landed beside her on an unfamiliar rooftop, leaning against his extended baton, his messy blond hair in his eyes. She paid him no attention, gaze fixed on the strange sight of an akuma so far away from home.

He cleared his throat, "I guess Hawk Moth wanted a vacation in New York." Ladybug turned to face him, and he met her with a devilish trademark smirk. "As nice as it is seeing you here, Bugaboo, I can't help but wonder what you're doing here, as well."

She rolled her eyes, "I can ask you the same question." When he continued to stare, she gave him a look she hoped read, _You know I can't say anything about my identity._ He let out a small, defeated (kind of cute) puff of air. She smiled at him sympathetically, and booped his nose. The flush of his cheeks was enough to make her need to stifle a laugh.

"I'm glad you find this amusing," he said, almost sounding annoyed, the small upward tug of his lips betraying him. 

Ladybug's earrings beeped in warning. "Well, I gotta go," she said turning her back on him and throwing her yoyo at far chimney, "Bug out!" With a playful, two fingered salute and wink, she swung away.

* * *

_Coward,_ Adrien thought to himself as he made his way back to the car. 

He'd wanted to stop her, or make a pun, or say another flirty line, _anything_ , but of course he couldn't bring himself to. The way she stifled a laugh after she booped his nose was not fair. How could someone have such an affect on him? He frowned at the sunset. _Coward._

Marinette appeared next to him, big, infinitely blue eyes staring up at him. She had something between a shy smile and a smirk (if that was even possible) plastered on her face. "Did the sunset offend you?" When he gave her a quizzical look she offered, "You were glaring at it."

"Oh," was all he could say. He felt the tips of his ears redden with embarrassment. Then, his gaze falling to her gorgeous light blue sundress, he felt the rest of him redden. _This was so not fair._

Nathalie then appeared, tablet in hand, and for once he was genuinely happy to see her. "Since we've been held back it seems as though we won't be able to start setting up today. Instead you and Ms. Dupain-Cheng will go have dinner at Eleven Madison Park." Adrien decided he had spoken too soon. He was supposed to have dinner with Marinette, alone, at a high end restaurant, her beautiful dress taunting him. "We will drive to the hotel so you can dress appropriately, Adrien."

Then his assistant walked to the front of the limo as his bodyguard opened the door for him. He allowed Marinette to go in first, desperately trying not to stare at her too much, then slid in behind her, the door closing. Throughout the entire car ride Adrien fixed his gaze at his window, not exactly focusing on anything, but determined not to look at his beautiful friend beside him. They were so close, he could reach over and caress her small, delicate hand with his... Adrien tugged the collar of his shirt away from his neck, had it always been so hot?

Upon arriving at the hotel, Adrien didn't even wait for his bodyguard. Once the vehicle was in park and was completely stopped, he fumbled with the seatbelt as it flew back to its place and opened the door quickly. He impatiently held it open for Marinette, though he tried not to show it, then flew toward the hotel and into the elevator. Once up on their floor, he hurriedly opened the door with the room card and rushed into the closet. Closing the door, he sighed against it, finally a safe distance away from Marinette. 

The kinds of thoughts looking at her in her dress invoked were not things he should have been thinking about a friend.

Plagg flew out of his pocket and rummaged through a bag, pulling out a piece of cheese and stuffing it in his mouth. He muttered something incoherently through his cheese, and upon realizing Adrien didn't understand him, rolled his eyes and repeated himself, "You know, kid, for 'just a friend' she seems to really be getting to you." He gestured toward Adrien's redness and tugging at his collar. He then dove into a bag to dig for some more cheese.

"S-she's just a friend," Adrien stuttered. Why was it so _hot?_ "That's all. Just a friend." 

Plagg looked at him, unimpressed, as he popped another piece of cheese into mouth, "Whatever you say."

Adrien ignored Plagg and looked through his clothes for a suit. He found one that was black, then grabbed a white button-up and a bright green tie. After putting them on, he reached down to pull on some black dress shoes, then opened the closet door and stepped out, Plagg flying into the inside of his blazer after eating yet another piece of cheese.

He was not expecting to see Marinette in a different dress. He was definitely not expecting the dress to be even more lovely than the last. He was absolutely positive that he wasn't expecting to find Marinette's hair down with red ribbons attached to it. But most of all, he wasn't expecting the room to get any hotter, which, somehow, it did.

Marinette's dress had a black bodice with lace creating sleeves. The rest of her dress was red and flowed down to her black heels, not very tall but left the height different between them to become several inches smaller. On her shoulder was a thin, long, black strap, which then lead down to a sleek, small, black purse. Her hair was much longer than it had been the first time he'd seen it down, back when they were fourteen. It sat splayed on her chest and shoulders, reaching the middle of her back. 

_Of course it was longer that was three years prior,_ he chastised himself.

Adrien thought he forgot how to breathe. _Why was it so hot?_

Marinette stared at him shyly, her gaze moving from his shoes all the way up to his hair. _Was she checking him out?_ She then walked over to him and reached a hand out. Adrien's mind thought of all sorts of wild theories about what she would do, but she simply started to fix his hair. 

That's when it dawned on him that he really hadn't done much with it since that morning. _How embarrassing._

"I, erm, I should go style my hair," he managed to utter. _Did they have a way to lower the heat in the room?_ He hastily walked away from her and her gentle touch that sent involuntarily shivers down his spine, suddenly having tunnel vision to reach the bathroom and work on his hair and look at absolutely nothing else. Especially not Marinette.

It was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter!!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The scenery between them was much too romantic, and it made Adrien feel incredibly uncomfortable. It wasn't that Marinette made him uncomfortable, but Marinette dressed like that, well, he could either barely look at her or stare for too long.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, Adrien's gentlemanly instincts seemed to mingle with something else. He'd opened the door for Marinette, then took her hand to help her out of the car. However, he did not need to hold her soft, yet textured hand for any longer than that. But it didn't stop him. 

It wasn't until they were seated that he let go of her hand, in order for him to pull out her chair. He immediately missed the feeling of her hand in his. They sat across from each other, at a small table with a white cloth, other tables surrounding them, chandeliers and candles lighting the room. Between then was a glass vase with a single red rose, and Adrien almost wanted to take it and offer it to Marinette.

"What would this lovely couple like to have this evening?" Adrien hadn't even noticed the waiter. "Something to drink?"

Adrien didn't even correct him, if he thought him and his lovely friend were a couple, it was no harm no foul, right? By then, his gentlemanly instincts were under attack. "I'd like some water please."

After Marinette ordered her drink, he wasn't sure what she got, she looked back at him with a quirked eyebrow. It was then, he noticed, that he was staring. "Is there something on my face?" She sounded genuinely concerned, but her smirk said otherwise.

His Chat Noir instincts activated, "Sorry, just admiring your beauty, Princess." He mentally face palmed. _Really? Of all things to say, you call her Princess?_

He hoped she would look past it, that she would momentarily forget that Chat called her that. That she would momentarily forget the evening they spend talking on her balconies. But of course, being Chat Noir, he was a bringer of foul luck.

He watched as Marinette's face paled. As her eyes grew wide and her jaw slackened. He was watched as her features scrunched up in confusion, as if trying to connect the dots, but having something missing. She stared into his green eyes, then her gaze traveled up to his blonde hair.

Before she could do anything else, Adrien stood abruptly. "I, um, I'll be right back." 

He then scurried away, going to the nearest bathroom, even though he didn't need to use it. Once he was securely in a stall, Plagg flew out of his blazer, laughing so hard his eyes watered. "Kid, you really are something."

"Shut up, Plagg."

* * *

"Sorry, just admiring your beauty, Princess."

Marinette's brain backed up before saying anything. _Princess?_ Marinette figured that it was something a lot of people called girls, but the way he said it was just too familiar. The only image that flew into her mind was her partner, his signature cheshire grin, his messy blond hair, and his incredibly bright, green eyes. 

As she examined Adrien, scrutinizing every detail of him she could see, he had jumped up from his seat, excused himself, then booted to the nearest restroom. It may have been suspicious, or he may have really needed to go. She wasn't sure which to pick, so she stuck with the latter.

It wouldn't make sense if Adrien, dorky, polite, sweet, Adrien, was the same person as her partner. Her risk taking, pun making, flirty dork of a partner. It just didn't make any sense.

When Adrien returned, his eyes glued to the menu, looking over ever item, and not once glancing at her. A part of her deflated. She'd noticed him staring at her throughout the day, and she hadn't wanted that to stop. Not so soon. 

Not long after he'd arrived, the waiter came back, asking for their orders. After ordering their very expensive food-- Marinette had tried to choose something less expensive because _holy cow_ \-- the two teenagers sat in awkward silence. 

Marinette tried to catch Adrien's eyes, but they darted everywhere else. And once she'd look away and feel his gaze, she looked up and he would be looking somewhere else. She wanted to talk about something, anything, but the only thing on her mind besides Adrien, was the akuma attack. 

Before she could stop herself, she blurted, "The akuma attack was weird, huh?"

Adrien's gaze slowly moved to her, "Yeah, it was."

"Good thing Ladybug and Chat Noir were there, right?" She mentally face palmed. Why did she bring Ladybug into the conversation?

"Yeah, it was a little strange to see them, wasn't it?"

Marinette gulped, " _Very_."

Adrien then nodded slowly, and the food arrived, mercifully letting the conversation die off. However, that just left for more awkward silence as they ate. Marinette wasn't sure what was worse.

Instead of doing nothing, Marinette's mind returned to the topic of the akuma attack. It was weird to see an akuma in New York, that meant Hawk Moth was there. But what was weirder, was the fact that he released an akuma in the first place. If heroes hadn't shown up, New York would've been in danger. It was almost as though he was... Expecting them.

Marinette shivered at the thought. Ladybug and Chat Noir still didn't know each other's identities three years later, the idea that Hawk Moth potentially knew, well, she didn't want to think about it. But she had to. How in the world would Hawk Moth know, if the only timeline he knew their identities in was lost?

She remembered Oblivio. Then she shook her head. The akuma hadn't seen their identities, he'd only seen them in costume. So then what was it? A suspicion? A lucky guess? What was it?

After they finished eating, Adrien stood, walking over to Marinette's side of the table, his arm ready to be held, "Shall we?" 

Marinette took his arm, delighting in the slight flush of his cheeks. If she could do that, she wondered what else she could do. When they entered the limo that awaited them outside, Marinette slid her hand down from his arm to his hand, holding it throughout car ride as she stared out the window.

Though she was becoming bolder, she still felt herself grow warm. Adrien's hand was a considerable size bigger than hers. However, that allowed her hand to fit into his in a way that it would be completely warm, almost as if one hand hugged the other. She tried not to think about it much, but it ended up being the only thing on her mind on the short car ride. 

She was holding Adrien Agreste's hand.

* * *

Once at the hotel, Adrien didn't let go of Marinette's hand. She had been the one to make the move, and he really didn't want to let go. It was nice, having her small hand in his. It was soft as though it had been lotioned daily, but textured slightly from all the sewing and crafting she did. When he glanced at her dress again, he wondered if she'd made it herself. It was a very lovely dress.

Once in their room, Adrien asked if she wanted to watch a movie, and she agreed to it. Marinette chose, picking a Disney movie called, _Tangled._ When he asked why she picked it, she simply said it was cute.

Adrien did not expect it to have to do with an old lady who kidnapped a child and kept her locked up in a tower all her life just so she could stay young. He didn't not expect the evil woman to be manipulative and deadly. And he did not expect to somehow relate to a movie about a lost Princess.

When it came to a scene, where Rapunzel and her love interest, Flynn Rider (though by then she called him Eugene), were singing in a small boat, he heard Marinette faintly sing along. He then noticed that the movie had the lyrics typed out in front of them, a sing-along edition, so he decided to sing with her.

He did not expect them to end up so close together. He did not expect him to feel so warm when she stared at him, singing the last bit of lyrics with him. He did not expect himself to lean in. And he definitely, did not expect them to kiss.

His mind was a bit hazy, he didn't really remember how it happened, not in much detail anyway. But there they were, his lips on hers, the taste of her strawberry lip gloss intoxicating. Her hands were in his hair, his hands where on her back, and they were leaning against the couch. His hand moved to cup her cheek, and her tongue brushed against his lips, asking to enter. And he let it.

He didn't stop when they parted for breath, his lips moving on their own accord, peppering her with kisses from her jaw to her neck, then back up to her lips. They were messy and inexperienced, but he kept coming back for more. And she kept giving. 

It was hard to compete with her, her kisses sent him into a daze. He knew that Plagg would tease him later, ask him if she was still "just a friend". But the truth was, she hadn't been for a while. He'd kept saying that because he couldn't handle more rejection. Because he'd been scared when he realized his feelings, and he hadn't wanted to be a two-timer. Not that Ladybug ever had the same feeling for him, but it didn't feel right.

Now, kissing Marinette, that felt right. The movie was long forgotten, and they only parted completely, leaning foreheads against each other breathlessly when the end credits rolled. Adrien kept his gaze away from Marinette's intoxicating lips. But that didn't stop her from staring at his. There was a hunger in her eyes, which Adrien found incredibly attractive, but it was getting late, and they would have an early morning.

Reluctantly, Adrien moved his forehead away from hers, slightly. He was still breathless as he spoke, "We have an early morning tomorrow." Marinette nodded, but didn't say anything. "We should go to sleep." Marinette nodded again. He found her silence to be a bit unsettling. He turned to her, eyes searching for an answer. "Why aren't you saying anything?" She shrugged, her gaze back at his lips.

He leaned in and gave her another quick peck. He felt her smile against his lips. "We should really go to sleep." 

She hummed at him, "Do we have to go to sleep now?" There was a mischievous glint in he eyes. Dangerous. 

"W-well, I mean, if we don't it'll be a rough day." The room was suddenly increasing in warmth again. Why did it do that so often? She stared at him, as though expecting more explanation. "And if I kiss you again, I don't think I'll be able to stop," he blurted. He groaned internally, but grew even warmer at he response.

"So don't stop." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flufffffffff (sorry this is a bit self-indulgent)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day was a busy day, with so much to do, and not much time to talk about what happened the night before. On top of everything, though, Gabriel Agreste finally appears, as dismissive and restricting as ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I haven't updated in forever, but I just couldn't figure out what do write next and my brain kept coming up with new ideas that couldn't fit into this fic so I wrote other one-shots and then well, here I am now.... Finally.

Marinette didn't remember much after telling Adrien not to stop kissing her. As she stared at the ceiling the next morning, awake uncharacteristically early, she blushed at the fact that she even said that. Clearly she hadn't been thinking, but, for once, not thinking had turned out to be a good thing.

She turned to face Adrien, asleep beside her on the couch. When did they even stop kissing? When had they fallen asleep? Why had he even kissed her in the first place? She stared at him, his hair messy and covering his face, as though he could somehow telepathically answer her questions.

She ignored the familiarity of the sight of messy blond hair tugging at her mind.

They had both been affected by the kisses, that much was clear. She wasn't sure if he was as affected as her, but she did remember that seeing him breathless and flushed and very much kissed, had definitely affected the way her brain functioned. The realization that she'd done that to him had made her weirdly smug and very bold.

_"And if I kiss you again, I don't think I'll be able to stop."_

Marinette's heart beat widely, remembering what he'd told her. She had done that to him. Just plain, old Marinette had done that to him.

Adrien stirred beside her, just as a faint buzzing came from something on the ground. The buzzing turned into a melody, and when Marinette looked down to see where the noise came from, she saw it was Adrien's phone, face down. It must've fallen at some point in the night. 

Marinette picked it up, turning it over to check who it was. But it wasn't a call, it was an alarm. Time to wake up.

Marinette sighed, turning the alarm off and nudging Adrien gently. His eyes opened drowsily, a tired smile on his lips. The same lips she kissed the night before. 

_Oh God._

"Good morning, Marinette," he murmured. Clearly the events that took place hadn't hit him quite yet. His eyes found her messy hair, then found her dress. Slowly, his eyes widened, _"Oh."_

Now it hit him.

He quickly straightened himself up, a hand running through his hair in a poor attempt to fix it. He cleared his throat, about to say something, but she cut him off.

"Before you say anything about last night, let's just get ready, ok? We have a lot of work ahead of us and kisses are the least of my worries right now."

"B-but--" Adrien started.

"No buts, we'll talk about it later, when we actually have the time. Speaking of..." 

She checked his phone, seven o'clock. They were supposed to be ready in half an hour. She showed him his phone, then got up, frantically searching for something to wear. Half an hour wasn't much time to get dressed, brush her hair, wash off her make up then add more make up, and eat breakfast. She hadn't even showered the night before, and Adrien would need time to get ready too.

Marinette groaned. She did not want to put her "always being late" curse on Adrien.

* * *

Adrien watched as Marinette ran to the bathroom, clothes and a brush in her arms. As she slammed the door shut, he realized how little time they had, and hurried to the closet to change. As he closed the door behind him, Plagg zipped out of his hiding spot, a piece of Camembert in his paws.

"So? Is she still 'just a friend'? Do 'just friends' make out? Huh, kid?" Plagg zoomed around Adrien, teasing him, and getting all in his face.

Adrien's nose scrunched up. _Ugh, smelly cheese._

"Ok, ok, Plagg, I get it! I was being stupid, but I just couldn't handle more rejection. My father has rejected me my whole life, constant neglect doesn't do well for a kid. And then Ladybug, and Kagami didn't work out, so when I realized I liked Marinette..." Adrien shook his head. "I just pushed it into the deepest darkest corners of my mind and ignored it. But lately, with her around me so often now, it's been hard to ignore. And on top of it, she keeps looking perfect!" 

Plagg snickered, but didn't say anything more. He probably knew Adrien was already feeling flustered enough.

_Gosh, damn it, why does this place keep getting so hot at random times?_

Adrien pulled on some black jeans, a short sleeve blue shirt and a gray sweatshirt over it, tugging on some white sneakers as he hopped out of the closet in search of his brush. Once he found it he styled his hair, looking at a mirror next to the door.

When Marinette opened the door to the restroom, he walked in, applying toothpaste to his tooth brush, brushing his teeth alongside her. It was nice, just brushing their teeth beside each other, the buzzing of his electric toothbrush being the only sound breaking the silence. Weirdly enough, the silence wasn't awkward or suffocating, like the silence between Adrien and his father. It felt good to have such a change.

Once done, a knock came from their door, and Adrien opened it to find Nathalie. "Hello Adrien, I see the two of you are ready," she nodded at the pair of teenagers in front of her. "There's no time for breakfast now, but I did find these breakfast bars that should hold you over for now," she handed them to Adrien, "Anyway, we are to go set up today, making up for yesterday, so be prepared for a lot of work. Now, time to go."

As Nathalie turned, the two followed her, Adrien silently passing Marinette one of the breakfast bars as her opened the other. While he munched, he noticed Marinette wearing a simple short sleeved gray shirt and high waisted, light jeans with a black belt. Her gray and white sneakers finished off the look, making her seem ready to do some work, while still looking ~~flawless and adorable~~ good.

During the car ride, Adrien forced his eyes to stare out the window, but he couldn't focus on any of it. The night before had been completely unexpected. Adrien hadn't thought that his first kiss (that he remembered and was as Adrien, not Chat Noir) would need up being with Marinette. Not that he minded, Marinette was amazing and he truly cared about her, but he hoped she wouldn't be upset that he stole her first kiss (kisses?). 

He thought back to the feeling of her soft lips pressing into his. It had started off so gentle, but soon became more passionate and intense. He remembered kissing down her jaw and neck, being controlled by desire and pent up emotion. Everything had felt too good to be true, like some sort of dream, but despite that, he had wanted to make the most of it. Because even if it could've been a dream, he didn't want to regret it.

He remembered when he'd told her, _"And if I kiss you again, I don't think I'll be able to stop."_

His cheeks warmed as he thought about her response, _"So don't stop."_

He hadn't expected it, and he hadn't expected how much a small, simple sentence could undo him. His heart hammered in his chest as he stole a glance at Marinette. Did she regret what happened?

* * *

Upon the arrival at the indoor space rented for the expo, Marinette gawked at the size of the place. It was mostly empty, with only a few stands already starting to set up and a stage being prepared to the left of where they entered. It was almost completely bare, with gray surrounding them on the walls, ceiling, and floor, but Marinette knew that it wouldn't be for long. She may not have known much about fashion expos, but she knew that.

Adrien stood beside her, and out of the corner of her eye she could've sworn she saw him glancing at her, but she couldn't be sure. She kept her eyes trained ahead as they walked, determined not to look at him. Because she knew if she did, she'd remember the kisses they shared, and that would not do any good.

It didn't take long until they found a sign with the name Gabriel Agreste Brand scrawled on it in marker. Seemingly out of nowhere, a few people in jeans and t-shirts came, hauling out equipment, clothes, hangers, and tables. Then, they were working. 

The set up dividers, acting as small walls around their area, all of them gray. They then set up a few white tables, Adrien and Marinette helping them despite Nathalie's protests. Racks on wheels moved in their direction, placed against the walls. They then started handing out hangers and outfits to place on them, carrying mannequins over to their area as well to place a few outfits on display.

As time flew by, the place got hotter, whether it was because it was summer or the work Marinette wasn't sure. Before they knew it, it was time for a lunch break at noon. Marinette was elated, but then quickly her thoughts turned grim. A break meant free time, and free time meant talking about the night before. 

She wasn't ready.

A part of Marinette wanted to forget the night before, to simply jot it down as a dream and move on. Another part of her, however, wanted to talk about, to ask Adrien why he'd kissed her back, when he could've pulled away. But all in all, most of her agreed that talking could lead to disappointment. Because maybe Adrien would simply say it was the heat of the moment, that one thing lead to another and what happened, happened. She didn't want to hear that.

Lost in her thoughts she jumped when Adrien's voice cut through, "Can we talk now?" He had a couple of sandwiches in hand, reaching out to pass her one.

Slowly she took her sandwich and took a bite, avoiding his piercing eyes. The silence was unbearable, but it was better than talking. She didn't want to talk about last night. Not yet.

There were a few gasps and heads whirled around. As Marinette and Adrien slowly turned to face what the crowd was staring at, Marinette saw Adrien's expression turn resentful, his mouth pressed into a thin line as he straightened his posture. Then Marinette saw him, Adrien's father, Gabriel Agreste.

After realizing how much Gabriel neglected and manipulated Adrien, she stopped idolizing him. Sure, she still wanted to design as well, if not better than, him, but she was no longer star struck. Instead she saw an emotionally and mentally abusive father, who just happened to be a talented designer. She grimaced as she saw all the stat struck eyes around her. She grew disgusted that she was once one of them.

Gabriel hadn't said hello to her or Adrien, he'd simply glanced at them, gave them a short nod, then turned to assess their stand. Disregarding the fact that their short break wasn't over yet, he started speaking to Nathalie, pointing here and there, as she nodded and typed on her tablet. Not long after she started relaying information to an overeager crew member who started to work, leaving a half-eaten sandwich behind.

Marinette shook her head as she watched. Gabriel really had everyone wrapped around his little finger. Except for Marinette, Adrien, and their friends. She would never let herself look up to him ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it was worth the wait!! Now my updating on here will be more limited because school had started (virtually), but if you ever want to read more of my work, you are welcome to! (I post more single chapter works than anything else, I get a lot of random ideas....)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They needed to talk, and they both knew it. But who would speak first?
> 
> (Aka a chapter where I write some self-indulgent fluff because I can't wait any longer.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm back!! I'm updating a lot sooner than I thought I would, but hey, it's been a pretty long time. Also, is that... Gabriel POV?? Yep, that's right, I'm writing a short Gabriel POV in here. (It's my first time though, please have mercy on me.)

After a long day of work, a silent drive back to the hotel, another silent drive to a restaurant, then an awkward dinner with Gabriel and Adrien, and another silent car ride, Marinette couldn't handle it anymore. The silence between them was suffocating, but she couldn't bring herself to speak about the night before. Because as she sat on the couch, changed into her pajamas, her sketchbook in hand as she stared at a blank page with Adrien reading quietly beside her, she kept reminding herself that the night before had been very, _very_ real. And the idea that it may have just been a sort of, heat-of-the-moment thing scared her.

They needed to talk, and they both knew it. But who would speak first?

She heard Adrien sigh beside her, but she still jumped when he asked tentatively, "Is this a good time to talk?"

Marinette looked at him, not trusting herself to speak. When he locked eyes with her, she felt as though he was staring into her soul, and she quickly looked away. She wasn't ready yet, but she had a feeling that if she didn't take that chance, she would never be ready to talk about it. And it was better to clear things between them than to stay in the unbearable silence.

Slowly, she nodded her head. "Yeah."

She saw Adrien run a shaky hand through his hair from the corner of her eye. "Ok. Marinette, I'm really sorry."

 _Oh no,_ she thought, _This is where he tells me it didn't mean anything._

"I took advantage of you, and--"

 _Huh?_ "Hold on, what?"

He blinked at her, surprised by her outburst. "I kind of took advantage of you..."

She shook her head. Did he really think that? "No, Adrien, you didn't-- What gave you that idea?"

"Well, you were tired, and I figured it must've been the heat of the moment or something that made you kiss me."

It was almost as though he was saying she wouldn't kiss him if it weren't for her tired state and the romantic song they had sang together. Sure, it had made her a bit bolder, but she had wanted to kiss him for years. How did he not know that?

 _Because you never had the guts to tell him,_ said an annoying small voice in her head.

"Oh my gosh, do you really think that?" When he didn't reply, she shook her head with an incredulous look on her face. "Adrien, I will kiss you right now to show you that it was definitely not a heat-of-the-moment sort of thing," when he blushed it gave her courage to add on, "And here I was thinking you would say you kissed me because of that same reason."

He shook his vigorously, "Of course not! Marinette, you are amazing, and the dress you were wearing made me think things a gentleman probably shouldn't have thought. But I was mostly thinking about how stunning you looked. I mean, maybe a part of me was thinking about how I had wanted to hold your hand and maybe a part of me wanted to kiss you, but I couldn't even continue that train of thought because I wouldn't have done anything if I hadn't seen the look in your eyes and--"

She cut him off with a kiss. He made a startled sound, something that almost sounded like a...meow? She didn't think too much off it and pulled away before any desire could take over. He blinked at her, thoroughly flustered.

"Sorry, maybe I shouldn't have done that..." She looked away, a little embarrassed.

"No, you have absolutely _nothing_ to apologize for other than sending me in a daze," he said, sounding a little breathless. Then he turned serious again, "You're not mad that I stole your first kiss?"

 _Technically my first kiss was with Chat Noir_ , the annoying small voice in her head piped up. She told that voice to suck a sock.

She decided not to tell him that, and give away her identity, shaking her head in reply. A relieved smiled came across his features, clearly a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Did he really think she would be mad at him? What made him think that?

"Erm, well, we should go to sleep, it's getting late, and we have to get up early tomorrow too." Marinette nodded, that was true. "Uh, why aren't you saying anything?" _That was a valid question_ , she decided as she stared at his lips. "M-marinette?" She looked up at him, snapping out of her daze.

"S-sorry."

He gave her a gentle smile, kissing the top of her head. "Good night." Then he walked to the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Marinette was glad he couldn't see the lovesick smile on her face as she sighed contently, staring at the space he had just been sitting in.

* * *

Adrien closed the door behind him, leaning against it as he sighed, his heartbeat so fast it was concerning. He could've sworn Marinette was staring at his lips, and the look in her eyes was almost identical to the one from the night before. It took everything in him not to kiss her senseless. 

Plagg phases through the ceiling, "Hey, kid, should I start calling you tomato?"

Adrien narrowed his eyes, "Do _not_ call me that."

His kwami hummed, "I don't know, it's seems pretty fitting, I mean, I honestly think you've blushed more times in these last couple of days than in the three years I've known you."

"That's not...true."

"We can't lie, Tomato."

Adrien rolled his eyes, turning to the sink to grab his toothbrush. While Plagg did have a point, he still refused to admit it to him. That creature would be too smug for his liking if he ever admitted that he was right.

After brushing his teeth, Adrien left the restroom, almost regretting that he hadn't let Marinette brush her teeth beside him. But he had needed to get away before impulse took over. She looked up from her sketchbook at him, her hair loose on her shoulders.

 _Beautiful_ , was the only thing on his mind as he stared at her.

He moved over to her, sitting down beside her, "What're you designing?"

"I'm trying to design something New York inspired, I've already drawn a couple ideas down." She showed him her drawings, her blue eyes shinning with enthusiasm, "I'm hoping to have enough to create a line out of this."

When he looked into her eyes, deja vu tugged at his senses. The look in her eyes was so similar to one he'd seen in someone else's giant blue eyes. He mentally waved the thoughts away, he couldn't get distracted. "Whatever you design, I'm sure it'll be great." It was true, all her designs were amazing, even his father liked them, and his father was the toughest critic he knew.

She looked down, a little bit of the shine in her eyes dimming, "You don't have to say that."

Why would she think he just said it to make her feel good? Sure, he always wanted to say nice things to her, but it was a fact that her designs were great. He placed a hand on shoulder, squeezing it gently, "Marinette," her name sounded so intimate on his tongue, "I mean it."

She looked at him, her eyes searching his face. He hoped his eyes conveyed that his words were truly sincere. When she gave him a small smile, he felt relief wash over him. Kissing her forehead, he got up to start walking to his bed, only to get the bottom of his shirt tugged slightly.

He looked down at the hand that tugged his shirt, then his eyes traveled up to Marinette. She look so shy, a light blush dusting her cheeks, tentatively looking up at him. His breath stuttered. She really didn't have to try.

"Can I... Oh God this sounds ridiculous, but... Can I have a good night kiss?" she asked him.

"I already--"

"I meant a real one."

She was so red he was scared Plagg would come out of nowhere and scream, 'Tomato!' But then again, he probably was too. "Oh."

She let go of his shirt, waving her hands around hurriedly, "I totally understand if you don't want that, I didn't mean to pressure you or anything, oh my gosh I'm sorry, I--"

He pressed a soft kiss to her lips, but pulled away quickly. It probably wasn't very nice to cut her off like that. "Erm, sorry I should have done that."

She pulled at his collar, yanking him down to kiss him. It caught him off guard, but then he was kissing her back, settling back on the couch, his hands on the safe space of her upper waist. Her hands somehow made their way into his hair, tugging enough to pull him even closer. When they pulled apart, barely any space between them she whispered, "You're right, you shouldn't have down that."

He opened his eyes slowly, finding that same hungry, dangerous look from the night before flash across her eyes. It threatened to undo him once again. He gulped, moving away slightly, not wanting desire to take complete hold of him. "We should go to sleep, for real this time."

Marinette nodded slowly, "That's true, you're completely right, I'm gonna go brush my teeth, I'll try not to wake you up if you fall asleep right away."

Fall asleep right away? He almost scoffed. There was no way he was going to fall asleep quickly after that. Instead he nodded, "Ok, good night."

She pressed one last fleeting kiss to his lips, "Good night."

When she left him on the couch, closing the bathroom door behind her, he was glad she couldn't see how he stared at the door with lovestruck eyes.

* * *

"Well, you two really are close," came Tikki's voice after Marinette closed the door. Her heart was still beating wildly, she hadn't really thought about it before kissing Adrien so deeply.

She was too caught up in her own mind to really react to her kwami's teasing. "Yeah, I guess."

As her heartbeat slowed, her mind drifted back to the akuma attack. Why had it happened? How had Hawk Moth known that someone would save the day? She knew that he couldn't have just released an akuma without knowing that there would be some sort of resistance. Did he potentially know...?

"Marinette?" Tikki floated up in front of her face, concerned. "Is there something on your mind?"

Marinette looked at her kwami, fond for a moment. She always knew how to read Marinette, after three years she supposed her talent for reading her emotions had only gotten better. And the fact that she was a creature that had been around since the dinosaurs probably helped too. 

She nodded, "I was thinking about how weird it was to have an akuma attack."

Tikki paled, her expression grim, "It was unusual."

"Do you think he...knows?"

Tikki sighed, clearly trying to avoid that train of thought. "I don't know, Marinette. Maybe he somehow found out..? Let's just be careful--"

"I _am_ careful! That's all I've ever been, and you know that. The only time I can think of that he may have found out was Oblivio, but I'm sure that I couldn't have done anything reckless, at least I hope I didn't." 

_The only reckless thing was that kiss with Chat,_ the annoying small voice in her head reminded. She ignored it.

"I know," Tikki assured, putting a hand to her chosen's cheek, "I just hope that Hawk Moth still doesn't know your identities. If he does, however, you must be prepared."

She nodded, nuzzling her kwami. With her kwami and her partner with her, she would be prepared.

* * *

Gabriel sat down at the desk in his hotel room, looking away from the tablet in front of him. The girl who tipped him off had been right, Ladybug and Chat Noir really had shown up to defend New York City. But how had she known? Did she know their identities? 

Beside him, Nooroo fluttered around nervously. He flinched when the man looked at him, "This girl, the one who told us, she will be a better advantage than even Mlle Rossi. If she knew the two teenage miraculous holders were in this city, instead of Paris, then she could potentially know their identities. If we find those out, we can finally have an advantage over them, and I can bring her back."

"Yes, that's true, master." 

Gabriel looked back at his tablet. He needed to get those miraculous. He needed to bring her back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slow burn? Never heard of her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Adrien can't sleep because he can't stop thinking about Marinette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who's back!! School has been exhausting, I did not realize that staring at a screen and sitting all day could be so tiring. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Adrien stared at the ceiling, the lights around him turned off, Marinette on her bed, turned on her side, her back facing him. She seemed asleep, which made him kind of jealous, because no matter what he did, he couldn't sleep. He'd given up on tossing and turning, there just wasn't a comfortable position. There was nothing wrong with the bed he was laying on, it would probably comfortable if his mind let him fall asleep. But alas, this was not the case.

He'd tried not to think about how Marinette looked, with her hair on her shoulders when she was sketching. He tried not to think about how she looked when she'd tugged at the bottom of his shirt, tentative blue eyes and slightly pink cheeks. He tried not think about how she didn't even seem to think twice before kissing him after he'd apologized for his impulsiveness. And he tried his hardest not to think about that dangerous look that flashed across her eyes.

But of course, just because he tried, doesn't mean it worked. And it most definitely did not.

He glanced at Marinette, while his heart was hammering against his chest erratically, she seemed to have a relaxed, steady heartbeat. She was so lucky to be asleep. 

But maybe another part of Adrien was kind of afraid to fall asleep. After the nightmare he'd had, he didn't want to have another. It was a horrible nightmare, and though he should've been used to them, he'd never had one that stayed with him for so long.

Thinking about the small piece of him that was scared to sleep, he started remembering. So, to stop himself from seeing a dead, bloodied Marinette who he failed to protect, he stood up to grab the book he'd been reading.

Settling back on the couch, and turning on the lamp beside one of the ends, he opened up the book to start reading. When he heard a voice beside him, he was slightly startled, because he hadn't thought that Marinette was awake.

"You can't sleep, either?"

He shook his head, "This thing right here," he put a finger to his forehead, "it won't let me."

She giggled, nodding, "Same here."

She then came to around him, curling up beside him, a hand on his chest and her head on his shoulder. He read for a while, and with Marinette beside him, he felt himself start to drift to sleep. When he glanced down at Marinette to see her eyes shut, her features relaxed, he leaned over to turn of the lamp and close his book, setting it down on the table in front of them.

After kissing the top of her head, he placed his head on top of hers, and slowly found himself falling into a peaceful night's rest.

* * *

Gabriel Agreste groaned, plopping back down on his bed. He had thought he'd sensed someone's unrest, and fear, two negative emotions that could've fueled a late night akuma. Not that he really wanted an akuma at three in the morning. He'd been woken up by the emotions, so strong for a few minutes, then they were suddenly subdued. He had woken up for nothing.

Grumbling to himself, he checked to make sure his alarm was set for the next morning, then laid back down to try to get some rest. Perhaps the next day, with the inevitable traffic jams of New York City, he would akumatize someone new. It would be another chance to get the ladybug and cat miraculous. Another chance to bring his wife back.

* * *

The next day, when they arrived at the indoor space hosting the fashion expo, Marinette was surprised to find how many more people had already set up their stands. All sorts of dresses, blouses, suits, sweaters, hats, shoes, and other clothing items made of all kinds of fabrics, colors, and patterns surrounded them. Marinette was glad to have a bag with her, carrying her sketchbook and writing materials in case of any inspiration.

Up ahead she saw a runway being constructed, the basic structure almost finished. She walked over to it, marveling at how bare it looked compared to the finished piece. Everyone at the fashion expos really did make masterpieces, even the people who worked behind the scenes.

She walked back to the Gabriel Agreste area, finding Adrien watching her with a smile. "What?" she asked him when she reached him.

"You look so mesmerized by everything, but I guess that's what happens when it's all new." He leaned over, whispering in her ear, "It's cute." When he leaned back and walked away, being called by Nathalie, she saw a familiar smirk on his face.

Another thing she would have to ignore.

Somewhere behind her, she heard a heated argument between a manager and a worker. She couldn't tell what they were talking about, but whatever it was, the manager wasn't having any of it. Maybe the worker was late, or maybe they messed something up. Whatever it was, she knew if she didn't do anything, they would get akumatized. When the manager walked off, the worker stormed off in the opposite direction, opening a door that read "employees only", then shutting it behind them.

Marinette paled. There would be no way to get to them, meaning another akuma was about to wreak havoc.

* * *

Plagg groaned at Adrien slipped into an alley outside of where the akuma was yelling. "Why can't I have a vacation? I thought New York meant no akumas, what the heck is Hawk Moth doing here?"

"Sorry, Plagg, but we gotta help Ladybug. Claws out!" As a flash of green light transformed him, he couldn't help but think that Plagg had asked an important question, what _was_ Hawk Moth doing in New York?

He shook his head, pushing the thought aside as he jumped inside the building he'd previously been in. Ladybug was already there, yoyo out in front of her, spinning as she used it as a shield. The akuma, Prolix, as she called herself, fired lasers at Ladybug from her bracelet. As he watched from his vantage point, it seem her power was to make people's movements sluggish, as though everything took too much effort. 

That's when he realized her name was sort of a pun, since one meaning of the word prolix was that everything took great effort to do. So it was sort of clever on Hawk Moth's part, but he thought he could've done better.

He jumped down, catching Prolix's attention, causing her to try and fire at him. He deflected the shot with ease, after so many fights, it was just too predictable. Most akumas went straight for the other when one of them arrived late. He glanced at Ladybug, winking and earning an eye roll.

Then they got down to business.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo yeah, I know, it's short. But school is keeping me busy and I wanted to update... But I'd like to know which you would rather have, shorter, more frequent updates, or longer, less frequent updates?


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which fluff ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaaaayyyy another chapter!!! One person replied to my question of what type of updates they preferred, so I went with shorter more frequent updates. I mean, the chapters aren't gonna be SUPER short, but shorter than the others. I know that this isn't exactly frequent but school has been busy lately, so this was as soon as I could update.

Marinette didn't think the akuma would take so long to defeat, but then again, she didn't think she would be distracted long enough for Chat Noir to have to shove her aside and take the hit himself. After that, fighting the akuma also meant keeping Chat safe, since he couldn't move as fast as usual. In the end they were able to destroy the akumatized object, which was a badge, and the miraculous cure put everything back to normal.

So, when she found out it was time for lunch she was enthusiastic. There wasn't much for her and Adrien to do, the simple parts for non-skilled amateurs like them (though Adrien wasn't an amateur) were done with, so Nathalie had them driven back to the hotel by the bodyguard, while she stayed back to supervise. Marinette wondered fleetingly why Gabriel Agreste, the man in charge, wasn't there, but then she remembered his habit for being absent (as a father and a boss).

After eating, Marinette was perfectly content with stepping outside onto the balcony to sketch, she'd seen many different things on the drive and while other fashion brands were setting up. However, as she tried to focus on her sketching, her mind wandered again. 

There was another akuma attack, and so soon too. Usually they'd get two, maybe three, and on really bad weeks four akumas, but when they'd get the usual, they were never basically back to back. Maybe Hawk Moth was trying to tire them, or they'd simply gotten unlucky. Whatever it was, Marinette didn't like it.

But thoughts of an akuma brought her back to square one; why was Hawk Moth in New York and why did he akumatize someone? He wouldn't have done that had he known that Paris' heroes were in Paris, where they belonged. His whole motivation was getting their miraculous, so how did he know they would be there? Why couldn't she figure out the answers?

"Something on your mind?"

Marinette jumped at the voice she heard beside her. She hadn't realized Adrien had come out to the balcony. She gave him a sheepish smile, "Yeah."

"May I ask what it is?" He pulled out a chair sitting beside her and setting down a cup of tea. 

"It's just... Wasn't it weird to have an akuma attack? And then another almost right after?"

He hummed, leaning back in his chair and staring out into the skyline, "It is. I mean, isn't Hawk Moth's whole thing to get Ladybug and Chat Noir's magic jewel things?" He looked at her, brow furrowed with confusion, "He wouldn't just let someone get akumatized without him knowing they would save the day, right?"

"That's what I was thinking, too. Do you think he knows? About their identities?"

"I hope not... But, they don't now each other's identities." After a short phase he quickly added, "A-as far as I know, anyway."

"Alya would've hated if Hawk Moth knew and she didn't," Marinette mused with a smile.

Adrien chuckled, "Her and Nadja Chamack."

The two of them burst into laughter, imagining how mad each of the people they thought would be. Marinette figured they'd probably be red-faced, fuming, and if life were a cartoon, they would be breathing fire. Glancing over at Adrien, who was laughing so much he had to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye as he calmed down, she thought to herself that she was happy to have the time to spend with him.

Once calmed down, Adrien looked at Marinette, a soft smiled playing at his lips, "Thanks for that, I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard." His eyes then widened, "Oh, that sounded depressing, sorry."

She placed a hand on his, squeezing it gently, "It's not your fault that the circumstances are like that, don't apologize."

He nodded, his features relaxing as relief seemed to wash over him. He leaned over, kissing her forehead, "I'm gonna go shower, good luck with your sketches."

"Thanks."

* * *

Adrien sighed, a smile on his face as he closed the bathroom door behind him. Plagg phased through the door, appearing beside him, "What's up, lover boy?"

"Ugh, Plagg, don't call me that," he groaned.

"Why not? It describes you well," he shrugged. Then, smirking at his chosen he continued, "Or would you rather I call you tomato?"

Adrien groaned again as his kwami cackled evilly, hiding his face in his hands. But thinking about tomatoes had him thinking about red, and that made him think of his partner, as well as his confused feelings. He still had feelings for Ladybug, but it was obvious that he had feelings for Marinette, and he wouldn't have kissed her if he didn't. His heart hammered in his chest, remembering the feeling of her soft lips on his. He definitely had a lot of feelings for Marinette. 

Thinking back on it, if he'd ever thought that she felt something toward him, he would've considered her as an option. But his oblivious self just thought she was uncomfortable or maybe it was because she didn't want to mess up in front of her idol's son. But then he learned that she only idolized his creations, not the actual person.

A voice in his head that sounded an awful lot like Plagg told him, _Technically you're a creation of his too._

He shoved that voice to the very depths of his mind. 

Adrien wasn't sure if he'd ever completely get over Ladybug. She was the first girl he'd ever truly loved, and the only one who knew this other side to him that was reckless and flirty and still stayed with him anyway. But Marinette was amazing, and she cared about him just like Alya and Nino.

 _And obviously more since Alya and Nino wouldn't make out with you_ , came the Plagg-like voice. He told the voice to can it.

With Marinette he felt content, and having her beside him was enough to calm him down when he wasn't able to sleep the night prior. He felt like he didn't have to keep up an image with her, and he felt like maybe of he loosened up around her, she'd stay anyway, like Ladybug did. Pulling his shirt over his head, Adrien smiled slightly. 

_Yeah_ , he thought to himself, _I think she'd stay anyway._

* * *

Gabriel paced in his hotel room, running his hands through his disheveled hair. He thought that akuma could've been it, but then again he almost always thought that. (The only times he didn't were when he akumatized Mr. Ramier.) However, once Chat Noir was hit and couldn't be as fast, leaving Ladybug to defend herself, defend him, and have to fight the akuma, he thought he had them. But of course she was too clever, and won anyway.

He stopped pacing abruptly, his gaze darting to Nooroo, floating a little ways behind him. "Is this your doing?" he asked him, a barely suppressed growl escaping him. "Is this all to 'punish' me for 'misusing' the miraculous?" 

Nooroo shook his head timidly, "N-no, master. I can't tamper with that, but there's always a price to pay--"

"I know!" Gabriel shouted. "You told me a million times that 'there's always a price to pay when you misuse a miraculous.' I know that, I don't need to keep being told."

"B-but--"

"Quiet."

He then continued his pacing, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. The anonymous girl hadn't contacted him, even after he tried to send another text to her. Who was she? What did she know? Gabriel needed to find out before he was stopped or something else went wrong because he was "misusing" the miraculous. He scoffed, misusing? He was simply doing what had to be done, doing everything he could to bring back his wife and fix his family. How could that be wrong?


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there's fluff, crazy fangirls, and another akuma attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited for the New York Special!! Ahhh it's so close! That being said, enjoy!

_Adrien was fighting an akuma, transformed since he saw his hands were gloved and his baton was in one hand. Marinette was running, the akuma chasing her. He didn't know why the akuma was after her, but he knew he needed to protect her._

_Bounding behind them, he tried to catch up, but the akuma was too fast and too far away. He launched his baton out into a long staff with a quick press of a button, running then vaulting onto another rooftop. His breathing was heavy, and his legs felt like lead. How long had he been running?_

_He heard a scream. Marinette's scream. He strained his eyes, trying to see the action up ahead. The akuma was beating Marinette, then it took out a knife..._

_"No!" Adrien launched himself forward, trying to reach the akuma, but it was too late. The akuma ran away, but the damage was done, Marinette was bleeding and bruised, and his vision was blurry with tears._

_"Why?" she whispered to him. "Why couldn't you save me?"_

_He opened his mouth, trying to speak, but no words came out. He tried again, but couldn't even open his mouth, it was as though it was clamped shut. But why would it be? What was happening? Why was the world around him fading away--?_

* * *

Adrien gasped, sitting up in his bed, heart beating erratically, eyes darting around frantically until they landed upon Marinette in the bed beside him. Hurriedly wiping away his tears, he slowly calmed back down, knowing it was just a dream and she was still alive. It was the same dream he'd had when she'd been there to soothe him with a song. The same dream that plagued him since he'd admitted to himself that he felt something for her, much more than just a friend. 

He hated it. He hated falling asleep only to find himself dreaming that same dream. He was glad, so, _so_ glad, that she was alright in reality, but he couldn't stop the nightmare. Maybe it was because he knew Hawk Moth was there in New York, maybe it was because he was starting to think he loved her, or maybe it was something else. He wasn't sure.

He did know that he got nightmares frequently. Dealing with akumas and dying multiple times did not do well for his mental health. He'd had many dreams where he couldn't save Ladybug and she died, many dreams where he couldn't save his friends too. But none of them hit as hard as that dream.

He figured that maybe the dream hurt more because of the question she asked him in it. In none of his other dreams did anyone ask him why did hadn't saved them. In none of his other dreams had he watched as they died, they were usually already dead. In a few of his dreams where he couldn't save Ladybug, she'd tell him to take her earrings, and he knew he could bring her back. Maybe those were reasons why that dream hurt so bad, or maybe they weren't. 

He sighed, lying his head back down on the pillow and turning to his side. Whatever it was, he was glad that she was ok. He focused his attention of Marinette, her side rising and falling steadily as she slept. Her features were relaxed, no tension, embarrassment, or question present. Seeing her like that, so relaxed, so peaceful, was much better than her face looked in his dream. Then she'd looked betrayed, hurt, and confused. 

_"Why couldn't you save me?"_

He shook his head, he didn't want to keep thinking about the dream. He stood up, looking for the book he'd been reading in his spare time. In the darkness, without Chat Noir's night vision, he stubbed his toe on the corner of the bed. He yelped, loud, and clamped a hand over his mouth, biting hard on his lip as he sat down to inspect the damage, hoping that Marinette hadn't woken up. Glancing at her, he found her shifting, her eyes fluttering open.

"Are you ok?" she slurred groggily, rubbing her eyes as she slowly sat up and turned on a lamp.

"Yeah, I just stubbed my toe," he said sheepishly, "Sorry for waking you up."

She shook her head, "It's fine," she tilted her head to the side, "But why are you up? Isn't it like, past midnight?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, "Nightmare."

"Oh." She got up and sat beside him, holding his hand, "Are nightmares frequent?"

"Um..." _I can open up to her, right? Besides, it's nothing bad_ , he thought to himself. "Kinda? They're not usually bad, but... this one was."

Marinette squeezed his hand slightly, her other hand reaching up to trace one of his tear tracks, "Was it as bad as the other one? You look like you were crying."

_I thought I was quick enough to wipe them away. Dang it._

"It was." _It was the same exact one._

"Can I...is it too much to ask what happened?"

 _You died_. _I couldn't save you. You died and it was all my fault._ "I don't really wanna talk about it."

She nodded, "I get that."

Slowly, an idea came to mind. "Hey, do you mind if, uh..." _No, bad idea, bad idea, bad idea._ "...we sleep on couch together again? It helped keep nightmares away." _No, why'd you ask?_ He felt himself grow warm. Maybe it was too much to ask, maybe it would make her uncomfortable, maybe--

"Sure," she said, tucking a piece of her behind her ear. That's when he noticed her hair was down again, like it had been every night.

_Oh dear._

* * *

Marinette was wondering how likely it was for a human to spontaneously combust. Probably not likely, but she had Ladybug luck on her side, so she could most likely beat the odds. If you had told Marinette from last week that she would end up watching movies with Adrien, kiss him multiple times, soothe him from a nightmare, and cuddle with him on the couch repeatedly, she would've told you that you were crazy.

But yet there Marinette was, staring at a clearly flustered Adrien, who was asking her if she wanted to cuddle and sleep on the couch. Of course she'd said that she would want that. On the inside she was screaming, but she felt proud that she was able to respond and not spontaneously combust. If anything, it was Adrien who looked like he would end up exploding on the spot. She vaguely wondered how red a person could turn before they became a tomato, not only for Adrien's sake, but also for hers.

Currently lounging on the couch, the warm of his arms around her, his heart beat slowly going back to normal under her cheek, Marinette found herself much calmer than she thought she would be. Her arms snaked around his middle, holding him close but gently enough that he could move if he wanted. His finger were idly playing with her hair, one hand rubbing soothing circles in her back. It was hard not to fall asleep right away, but she desperately wanted to savor the moment.

"Um, are you comfortable?" she asked him timidly, lifting her head to look at him.

He looked at her, a small smile on his face, "Yeah." She noticed he still had pink dusting his cheeks, or maybe it was the soft glow of the lamp. "Are you falling asleep? Do you want me to turn off the light?"

"Only if you're ok with it."

He looked genuinely surprised, as though no one ever said that to him. Considering his home life and work life, he probably hadn't. "O-oh, erm, ok," he stuttered as he leaned over to turn off the lamp next to the couch.

Even with the lights turned off, the city lights outside the balcony left some lighting around them. Not much, but just enough to be able to see some of his features. Just enough to see the soft smile as he leaned over to kiss the top of her head.

"Thanks, Marinette," he murmured.

She was confused. She hadn't done anything. "For what?"

He hummed at the question, "For being you, an amazing, beautiful person."

Marinette was glad that the light had been turned off, because she was certain her face was aflame. "O-oh. Thanks," she mumbled, hiding her face in his neck.

She felt him shift slightly, a hand moving to cup her cheek. Slowly, she looked at him, and noticed that he was much closer, his breath fanning over her face. "You're really amazing, you know that right? I'm not just saying it to flatter you or something, it's a simple fact, a simple truth."

She just blinked at him. She wasn't sure what to say, how to respond. The honesty and sheer tenderness in his voice was enough to make her feel a little dizzy. And it didn't help to know just how close he was. Then she felt his lips brush against hers. It was only a moment, but she felt lightheaded. Before he could move, she pressed her lips more firmly against his, for just a few seconds, trying to savor the moment. For all she knew, all of that could've been a dream.

He smiled against her lips slightly, and pulled away slowly, "Good night," he whispered. 

"Good night." 

Even if he seemed calm, he couldn't fool her, for when she place her head back down on his chest, she could feel his heart hammering within it. A smile tugged at her lips; she wasn't the only one who was affected.

* * *

The next few days flew by in a blur. Setting up went incredibly fast, despite the amount of designers that were there, and the runway was finally completed. Sitting in a chair, watching Adrien and the other models have a dress rehearsal, Marinette wished the place wasn't so crowded.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with having so many different designers, styles, and clothing around her. It provided her a lot of inspiration, and allowed her to see styles she never would've seen before. (The internet could only do so much.) What bothered her was if an akuma attack took place. On one hand, there were plenty of places to hide when she needed to transform. On the other hand, there would be too many prying eyes to do so without compromising her identity. And of course the Gabriel brand stand was pretty much in the middle of everything. It was horrible for Ladybug, but great for Marinette.

Once dress rehearsal was over, Marinette found Adrien walking over to her, then he slumped in a chair. He looked exhausted, and she didn't blame him. Having to wake up so early and get so much done to him couldn't have been easy, and with a diet like his, it was no wonder he was always so tired. (Although Marinette had to hand it to him, he was pretty good at acting as though he wasn't about to collapse.) 

"Hey, are you o--?"

Marinette's question was cut off by the sound of screams. For a second Marinette thought it was an akuma, Hawk Moth had been quiet in recent days, but instead she saw two tall girls, one a brunette and the other with bleached hair, squealing a few feet away. They rushed over, fanning themselves with their hands as though that would make the violent blush on their faces go away.

"Oh my gosh, I am _such_ a huge fan of you!" the brunette practically shouted, making Adrien wince. The girl beside her nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh, wow, it's great to meet you," Adrien said, smiling brightly despite his weak delivery. (If his smile reached his eyes, he would've had Marinette fooled.)

"Did you hear that?" the brunette asked her friend, as though Adrien wasn't right there and as if her friend hadn't heard him, "He said it was great to meet me!" The girls squealed again, leaving Marinette wondering how often that sort of thing happened to Adrien.

Thankfully, security stepped in, ushering the girls out, the girl with the bleached hair who had been quiet the entire time went without a fight. Her brunette friend on the other hand? "Wait--just let me--what are you doing, let go of my wrist!"

They stared as the girl was dragged away, their gaze trainer on the door even after it closed with her on the other side of it. Marinette hoped to every god she could that the girl didn't get akumatized. She had been enjoying the break from akumas. (Even if a part of her slightly missed Chat and that fact that they hadn't really talked about how weird the akuma attacks were was nagging her.)

Adrien turned to her, sighing. "Sorry about that, you were sayin--"

He was interrupted by the door being burst open, and an akumatized villain stepping through the door. Marinette sighed dejectedly, taking Adrien by the hand, "Looks like we gotta get you to safety."

* * *

Adrien was annoyed. He'd finally gotten to relax and be by Marinette's side, but then he was interrupted by crazy fangirls. After that, one of them had to get akumatized. And now? He was running outside and into an alley to get transformed, even if he didn't want to do anything other than sleep.

"Ladybug can deal with it herself," Plagg whined.

"Why are you complaining? Didn't you sleep the entire time?" Adrien grumbled. Before his kwami could reply he called out, "Plagg, claws out!"

In an instant, Chat Noir stood in the alley, debating whether or not he should go out to help. Sleep sounded really good. _Stop that, you idiot_ , he chastised himself, _Ladybug needs you help._

A voice that might've been Plagg's retorted, _She can help herself, I need sleep._

_How do you know she doesn't need sleep?_

That left that Plagg-like voice stumped. Sighing, he took his baton out from his back and vaulted up. Searching for the akuma. She looked like a harpy, with a mostly normal human body, except it was red tainted like her face had been while speaking to him, and she had the claws and wings of an eagle, much larger to fit her size, of course.

He found her using her wings to blow Ladybug away, causing Ladybug to throw her yoyo and wrap it around a billboard to keep herself from flying away. By the looks of it, Ladybug was going to fly away at any moment.

"Hey, feathers! Want a piece of this?" Chat yelled, pressing on the button that turned his baton into a long staff then jamming it in the akuma's feathers.

She screeched, and it sounded awful, almost as bad as her squealing had been, "How dare you hurt Screecher?"

Screecher? Really? That was the best Hawk Moth could come up with? "Hey, no need to _harp_ about it," he smirked, ignoring the ringing in his years.

"You will pay!" she roared, lunging at him with her claws.

Ashe dodged he saw Ladybug's sigh of relief, and smiled. "Well, aren't you _eagle_?" The akuma screeched again, lunging at him yet another time. _Wow, no appreciation for a good pun. I mean, really, replacing eager and eagle was good, wasn't it? God, I_ am _tired._

Chat was sure the akuma was in the picture the girl had folded in her pocket. He hoped Ladybug would figure out how to get to it before Screecher shredded him to pieces. Behind him he heard her called for a Lucky Charm, and he hoped that meant she almost had it and not that she was stumped.

"Why am I after you?" the akuma questioned, stopped her pursuit. "I should be searching for Adrien." Chat looked back at her, seeing a butterfly glow over her face. "I can get the miraculous later, Adrien is more important. What do you mean no? Why do you care? I'm doing what I want! Wha--"

Ladybug swung past her, grabbing the picture and ripping it in two. Not long after, a normal, embarrassed girl was in the place of the akuma and everything was back to normal. But Chat couldn't shake off one of the comments the akuma made, _"Why do you care?"_

He wanted to believe that it was just because he wanted their miraculous, but a feeling tugged at his gut, making him question if that was all.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Adrien thinks about the possibility of Hawk Moth bring his father and we get a POV of my original female character!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, I haven't really updated this lately. My reasons are: school, I get random inspiration for one shots and small fics, and school. Sorry guys!

"Chat? Are you ok?" Ladybug asked, waving a hand in front of her partner's face. They were standing alone by then on a rooftop, her earrings beeping in warning.

His eyebrows were furrowed, and a frown tugged at his lips. He blinked at her for a second, as though registering her question. "Huh? Yeah, I'd say I look _purr_ ty fine, don't you?" he asked with a cheeky grin.

Maybe she was thinking too much into it, like usual. But why had he looked so troubled? Was it something the akuma said? Something the akuma did? She mentally waved aside the thoughts as her earrings beeped again.

"Well, if you're ok, then I gotta go, alright?"

He nodded at her, "Yeah, I should go too. Bye, Bugaboo!" He left with a wink, vaulting away and leaving her alone.

What was on the cat's mind?

* * *

_No way. Nope, that can't be possible. Why would that be?_

Adrien paced nervously in an alley way, desperately trying to convince himself that his father could not possibly be Hawk Moth. Lost of people came to New York throughout the year, especially in summer, that was why Hawk Moth was there. Besides, his father was akumatized, there was no way Hawk Moth could get akumatized. Unless it was to make sure no one suspected him. But why--

"Adrien, are you ok?" Marinette's concerned voice asked.

"Yep, I'm good," he lied with a practiced smile.

"Then why are you in an alley way?"

Right. "Ah, well, I was trying to find a place to hide." _Yeah, that makes sense. That's believable, right?_

"Oh, yeah, that, makes sense."

_Thank God._

He stepped out the alley way sheepishly as a car pulled up; it was time to go back to the hotel. "Good thing Ladybug and Chat Noir are here to save the day, huh?"

He could've sworn she tensed up as he said that, but maybe he imagined it. "Yep, good thing," she said with a strained chuckle.

_Weird._

"I gotta say," he continued as they slipped into the car, "Chat Noir's puns were great as always."

Her brow furrowed at that, and she looked like she was fighting a displeased frown. Closing the door she muttered, "I guess if you like puns they were."

He gasped, pretending to be offended, as he pulled the seatbelt around himself. "You don't like puns?"

"I don't like _his_ puns. My dad's puns are ok."

He narrowed his eyes at her, "What's the difference?"

"Chat Noir tries to make puns flirty," she shook her head, "which they _are not_ , and my dad only puns because dad jokes consist of puns. I don't think Chat Noir's a dad. At least I would hope not, he seems to be our age."

Adrien sputtered, "I'm not--he's not a dad. I know because we've talked before and he's definitely not a dad. I'd--he said he'd love to be one, one day, but not now." He cleared his throat, "A-anyway, I'm just glad they were able to defeat the akuma quickly."

Marinette nodded. "Yeah."

As they settled into silence for the rest of the drive, Adrien's past train of thought came back. Ladybug had suspected that his father was Hawk Moth before, and he just _happened_ to get akumatized not long after. There was also the fact that there were butterfly symbols _everywhere_ , even on Adrien's shoes. But maybe his father just liked butterflies? That even sounded pathetic in his own mind.

Hawk Moth just _happened_ to be in New York while his father was in New York, but that wasn't strong evidence because a whole lot of people came to New York all the time. Hawk Moth also just _happened_ to have the same height and stature as his father, and just _happened_ to have the same voice. But where would he keep the butterflies? Was that why Adrien always had to make an appointment to see him? In case he was somewhere hidden in their mansion doing something evil? Was that why he had that weird book in a safe?

Oh no. _Oh no._

* * *

Marinette noticed that Adrien had the same look Chat Noir had had on his face not long before. He'd had it on his face when she saw him pacing in an alley, and again in the car. She watched as his eyes grew wide and there was something in them that looked like a combination of horror and... _realization?_ Whatever it was that was bothering him, Marinette couldn't let him get akumatized, even if she felt like if she looked a little longer she'd come to some sort of realization too.

"Adrien," she said gently, placing a hand on his arm, "we're here."

He blinked at her for a moment, just as Chat had, then, as though he snapped out of a trance, he gave her a sheepish grin, "Sorry, I guess I was a little caught up in my own mind."

 _'A little'?_ she wanted to ask. _I think it's more than that._

But instead she smiled, "No worries, it happens to everyone."

However, even as he squeezed her hand reassuringly, she couldn't help but think that he was hiding something. What could possibly be on his mind that bothered him so much? What was going on? Why couldn't he tell her?

* * *

A teenage girl around the age of fourteen sat in what was supposedly her room. She'd gathered that her name was meant to be Sheila Asher, and that she was in New York. But as she looked around, she knew that it was not the same New York she knew. And she knew for a fact that her name was not Sheila Asher. But she went along with it.

However, when she saw what world she ended up in, she couldn't help but feel anger and frustration. She would make sure Hawk Moth knew the identities of Ladybug and Chat Noir, and she would make sure that Ladybug and Chat Noir found out their identities as well. She had to, that must've been the reason why she was placed in that world.

All her dreams would come true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, how cringey can my oc possibly be? Oh well. Let me know what you think about this chapter!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Marinette gets a letter from someone anonymous and finds something out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! I know it's been forever but I've been really busy with school, sorry!!

Gabriel sighed, collapsing on a chair in his hotel room. That akuma had been exhausting, so much arguing from a mindless fangirl. Was that what his son had to deal with? Gabriel was glad he didn't have to deal with that himself.

Her anger had been good enough, and she'd been doing so well. But she lost focus and insisted on going after Adrien. It was then that he'd received another text from the anonymous girl who'd been giving him hints. She told him that the fangirl wouldn't find Adrien, even if she looked. That had gotten him confused, why wouldn't she? Had he found such a good hiding place? However, it was then that Ladybug had destroyed the akumatized object, so he dismissed those thoughts.

He'd tried later to contact the anonymous girl but received no reply. She was truly mysterious, but helpful nonetheless. Even if she couldn't be reached, he had a feeling she'd help him figure out how to get the ladybug and black cat miraculous.

* * *

Marinette was showered and dressed, waiting to go to dinner with Adrien who was showering at the time. She sat on the couch, foot anxiously tapping the ground. Whatever was bothering Adrien, he didn't seem like he wanted to talk about it. He was so lost in his own mind, he kept zoning out. But whenever she asked if he was alright, he'd grin at her and say everything was perfectly fine. Just like Chat had earlier that day.

"Why won't he tell me anything, Tikki?" 

"Maybe it's personal," the kwami replied.

Marinette hadn't really thought about that. After getting to know Adrien over the past three years, she'd known that he usually didn't talk about his personal life. She knew just as much as Nino did, and he was closer to Adrien than her. They knew about his mother's disappearance, his father's strict, controlling, toxic behavior that Adrien insisted was grieving, and about how lonely Adrien was at home. But besides that, they really didn't know much.

"I guess it might be, maybe I shouldn't pry."

Tikki simply shrugged.

Someone knocked on the door and Tikki quickly phased through Marinette's bag, hiding out there. Smoothing out her dress as she stood up, Marinette peered through the peephole. She didn't see anyone there, but opened the door anyway. Looking around, she almost didn't find the envelope with her name on it in slanted, curvy writing.

She took the envelope and closed the door, opening it as she sat back down. As she read, her head was spinning, too many thoughts hitting her all at once. Her eyes scanner the paper faster and faster until she finished, a horrified expression etched into her features. The note said:

_Hello Ms. Dupain-Cheng,_

_I understand that you must be wondering why you have a letter here, when almost no one knows you in New York. I'm afraid I can't say, for the sake of identity. You understand, don't you? You know exactly how important it is to keep identities secret. I just wanted to let you know that maybe you should keep watching your back, and look around more closely. Hawk Moth is closer to you than you think, and your partner might be too. I know who you are, Marinette, and it's only a matter of time until someone else finds out too._

The note ended there, without a signature. But it was more than enough to send chills down Marinette's spine.

There was the click of a lock and Marinette hurriedly stuffed the paper into her small purse, muttering an apology to Tikki. As soon as she was done, she feigned a calm, relaxed, pose, and just as Adrien walked out of the bathroom, his hair wet and messy as he sloppily dried it with a towel. Marinette's throat was suddenly dry as she stared at him, heat creeping up on her cheeks.

Seeing him like that reminded her of when she'd been out in the rain one day during patrol with Chat Noir. Despite having many tendencies like a feline, Chat Noir had been laughing in the rain as he stomped on one puddle, then another, splashing her as he did so. He'd rushed to apologize, but then she stomped in a puddle beside him, splashing him, and then they started trying to splash each other as they laughed.

Marinette smiled; that was a good memory. As she stared at Adrien, however, she couldn't help but think of how similar he looked with his hair wet and messy like that. She thought of the letter, _"Hawk Moth is closer to you than you think, and your partner might be too."_ Could Adrien-

"Marinette?" The boy in question was studying her with a concerned expression. "Are you ok? You totally spaced out."

"Yep," she smiled, hoping it was convincing, "I'm great!"

Oh, how that was a lie.

* * *

Adrien couldn't sleep, again. But this time, it was because of the idea that Hawk Moth was actually his father. How would he tell Ladybug? When would he tell Ladybug? What evidence would he give her? Would he have to tell her his identity? Would he have to give up Plagg? What would she think about her own partner being her enemy's _son_?

He groaned, getting up and making sure, this time, that he didn't stub his toe. He needed to clear his head, he needed to feel the rush if wind against his face and through his hair. He glanced at Marinette as he looked for Plagg in the closet. When he found him, the kwami was asleep cradling his precious cheese in his arms. He was going to hate Adrien for waking him up.

"Plagg," Adrien hissed quietly, "Plagg, wake up." His eyes darted back to Marinette, checking that she was still asleep. Plagg stirred, grumbling about something incoherently. Adrien decided to throw caution to the wind and poked the god of destruction in the side.

Plagg yelped, shooting up into the air, and saying much too loudly, "What was that for?"

Adrien put a finger to his lips to gesture for the kwami to be quiet. "I needed to clear my head," he whispered.

He expected Plagg to frown, or protest, or do _something_ to resist, but instead the kwami muttered, "Alright, kid."

For a second, Adrien just stood there,blinking at him. When Plagg cleared his throat and started moving toward the balcony, he snapped out of it and started walking in the same direction. Once outside with the balcony closed behind him, Adrien transformed at vaulted out into the night.

* * *

Marinette sat up straight in her bed, eyes wide with realization. Adrien had been whispering to something in the closet. Adrien had walked out to the balcony and closed the sliding door behind him. There had been a flash of green light that only meant one thing, and Marinette couldn't believe it.

Despite knowing that, Marinette shoved the covers off her and ran to the balcony, looking outside. She barely caught him, his belt tail swishing behind him as he vaulted into the night. There was no other explanation for it, just something Marinette couldn't believe. Because how was she to believe something like this? That the letter she'd received prior to dinner had told her her partner was close than she thought and then there he was, right beside her this entire time?

There was no way she would fall asleep tonight.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Adrien gets caught, Marinette faces reality, and Adrien has to figure out what to tell Ladybug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that I haven't updated in like a whole month! I was busy with school and then the only ideas I had were random one shots, but here I am now! I hope you guys are all staying safe amongst these COVID-19 times. Enjoy!

It had been about an hour since Chat Noir went on his endeavor out on the rooftops of New York. It hadn't been nearly as comforting as running along the rooftops of Paris, since everything was new, but it had distracted him, which was what he needed. He'd looked around the bright city, listened to the sounds of honking cars and drunken young people, watched as cats chase mice in the alleyways. (He'd been only slightly tempted to join the chase.)

Now he was a rooftop away from the balcony, watching for movement inside. The room was dark, and it seemed that Marinette was still sound asleep. That was good. He made a final leap and landed softly on the balcony, releasing transformation and reaching out to the sliding door. He tugged on it gently, but it didn't move. It was locked.

Adrien blanched. He hadn't locked the door, had he? He turned to Plagg, only to find that the kwami had disappeared, probably already inside. What was he to do? Wait until morning and tell Marinette embarrassedly that he'd come outside to watch the sunrise and locked himself out? Was that believable?

As he debated he barely noticed the sound of a click, then the sliding door began to move. His eyes widened at the sight of Marinette, arms crossed as soon she finished opening the door. Her quirked eyebrow said, _"Well?"_ Clearly she wanted some sort of explanation.

What would he even tell her? _Oh, yeah, I happen to run across rooftops in Paris in a skin tight, black leather cat suit. Oh, and I love Ladybug, but I also love you! But I don't love Ladybug the same way anymore, and that's why I ended up kissing you. Did you know your kisses are addictive? Oh, why was I running across rooftops now? Yeah, my dad happens to be Hawk Moth._

He shook his head at the thought.

She sighed in front of him, moving out of the way so he could come inside. After he did, she closed and locked the sliding door. He waited for er to say something when she turned back around, but instead she tacked him in a hug, squeezing him so tightly he could barely breathe. Seconds later he was hugging her back, but not as tightly as he didn't want to crush her and he was confused.

"What's this for?" he asked her gently.

"For all those times you almost died, and the times that you did die," she muttered against his chest.

"Ladybug always brings me back, you know? There's nothing to worry about."

She pulled away slightly, glaring up at him, "And if she doesn't?"

He never really thought about that. He just trusted Ladybug enough that he knew he would always be brought back. He had to trust her like that, otherwise their partnership wouldn't work. Looking at Marinette now, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes, he realized that maybe he was a bit too reckless. Sure, he was meant to be the dispensable one, but that didn't mean he wasn't meant to think before acting.

He sighed, "I trust that she'll bring me back; I have to, otherwise we wouldn't be such good partners. But if it makes you feel any better, I promise to be a little more careful."

"Please do that," she whispered, tears spilling over.

Adrien cupped her face in his hands, thumbs wiping away her tears as he kissed her tenderly. "I will, I promise you." When she calmed down, he gave her one last kiss on her forehead, "It's late, we should go to sleep."

She nodded her head, murmuring a good night before getting in bed. Soon enough he was in his own bed, eyes closed as he drifted to sleep.

* * *

When Marinette woke up the next morning, she wanted to believe that everything that happened the night before had been a weird dream. Because there was no way that she really saw Adrien leaving the balcony after there was a flash of green light, right? And that was no way that she really saw him come back and detransform, right? Right?

She turned on her side, hearing a faint, off-key tune from the closet. Abruptly sitting up, she strained her ears. Was someone singing about...camembert? But why would anyone be singing about camembert so early in the morning? She stared at the bed beside her; Adrien's back was to her, his side rising and falling steadily.

If it wasn't Adrien then--oh. Oh. It was Plagg. Adrien really was Chat Noir. It hadn't been a dream. Adrien was her partner. The stupid alley cat that never hesitated to jump in front of her when there was danger, the stupid, stupid, amazing human being that died for her time and time again, and the boy whose heart she broke so many times when they'd been fourteen.

What was she going to do? She knew his identity, she wasn't supposed to find out. She was the guardian, she should know what to do. She had to figure out something. Would she tell him her identity? Would she have him give her his miraculous? No. She needed him there with her. 

She stood up, hurrying to the bathroom. As soon as the door was closed behind her, her kwami appeared with a reassuring smile. "Oh, Tikki, what am I going to do? I wasn't supposed to know this. Or do you think he knew already? Is that why he likes me? Because I'm Ladybug?"

"Marinette," Tikki said, tone stern but gentle, "If he knew who you were, he'd probably act more like Chat Noir, right?" She nodded slowly, trying to calm herself down. "Ok. Also, of course Adrien would fall in love with you! You're amazing, Marinette, and he knows that. So, stop panicking, you'll figure something out, you always do."

Right, Tikki was right. Adrien had called her amazing before, and he even called her their everyday Ladybug. He carried around her lucky charm, the one she gave him all those years ago and still wore the scarf she made him during the winter. (Sure, he didn't know it was made by her, but it was still something.) He once rejected her, as Chat Noir, back when they were fourteen, but their friendship only strengthened. He would visit her balcony every now and then, enjoying hot chocolate and pastries, sharing jokes, and making puns. 

With that in mind, she went back to bed, laying down, covering herself, and letting her eyes slip closed. She was barely on the edge of sleep, darkness and warmth only inches away, when an alarm went off. She groaned. She didn't want to fully wake up yet.

She heard Adrien shift and was pretty sure he got out of bed. She almost wanted to turn around to see him with sleep mussed hair, to compare that to his wild locks when he was transformed. She heard soft footsteps come closer to her, then her bed dipped as he sat down. 

His hand tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, "Good morning, Princess."

She huffed. Slowly turning toward him and opening her eyes to glare at him. He simply smiled softly at her, as though he thought that had been cute. Did he think she was cute? Even with messy hair and wrinkled pajamas and dried drool on the side of her mouth?

He slowly stood up, smile unwavering as he turned around to get ready for the day. She watched him as he walked, mesmerized. How could he possibly be her partner? How could that soft boy be the same person as the mischievous flirt that was Chat Noir? But then again, they both did have the same soft smile, the same silky blond locks, the same green, green eyes, the same tender words, and the same unwavering kindness. Maybe it wasn't so hard to believe.

* * *

Adrien thought showering in the morning would help him be more awake and prepared to face the day. To face the fact that he knew his father was his enemy and that he possibly suspected who him and Ladybug were. But if he had a suspicion, why would he still cause akumas? Why would he want his son to be fighting dangerous villains? Shouldn't he be worried about his safety?

But showering did not help. Adrien should've known better than to go to the place where hypothetical arguments were created. The place where he'd start thinking about how Ladybug would react to who Hawk Moth was, the place where he'd thinking about her reaction to letting someone figure out his identity, and her reaction to knowing how he knew who Hawk Moth was. 

Would she take away his miraculous? Take away Plagg? Would she be mad at him and never speak to him again? But, no, she wouldn't lash out at him, right? She wasn't like his father who'd nitpick and frown at every little imperfection, right? She would be gentle, kind, and she'd try to understand, wouldn't she? Wouldn't she?

After getting dressed and drying his hair, he decided the only way to know, was to talk to her. He'd just have to hope that she'd be ok with a late night patrol that night. He opened the door to the bathroom, calling for Plagg.

"What's wrong?" Marinette asked. She was sitting on the couch, dressed and brushing her hair.

"I just need to leave a message for Ladybug, she needs to know that someone knows my identity, so I was gonna see if she's alright with a patrol later tonight." Marinette didn't need to know about the "his father being Hawk Moth" part of things. Not yet.

"Um," she out the brush down and checked the date on her phone, "aren't you busy with the fashion expo for the rest of the week, though?"

Adrien ran a hand down his face, "I totally forgot about that." How could he have forgotten about the thing he was in New York for? Was he really that out of it?

Marinette smiled softly at him, "It's ok, with me finding out your identity, you were probably trying to figure out how to tell m-Ladybug. At least now you'll have more time to think, right?"

He shrugged, maybe she was right. With more time, he'd figure out the best way to figure out what to say, and then hopefully everything would be fine. As long as Hawk Moth didn't figure out who him and Ladybug were first.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fashion expo is basically over, and Adrien prepares to take to Ladybug. Meanwhile, Marinette gets another letter but has to wait until she can read it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I know, I have not updated. But it had a lot going on with school, and I had finals. Now, I'm on break, so hopefully I can update again next week. I'm really sorry!

After a long week of walking the catwalk, politely greeting people, and trying to get as much interest from consumers as possible, Adrien was exhausted. He wanted nothing more than to simply collapse on his bed, face first, without changing out of his clothes. So when he reached his hotel room, that's exactly what he did. He heard Marinette shuffle behind him, and heard her footsteps as she walked toward him, but he really didn't have the energy or the will-power to move.

The mattress dipped as she sat beside him, and he was sure he heard her giggle. "You know, sleeping like that might ruin your _oh-so-perfect_ face." There was a clear sarcastic tone in there.

He groaned. Who cared what happened to his face? Sure, his father would, but why would he care about his father's opinion? 

Marinette nudged his shoulder gently, "Seriously, though, you might mess up your back sleeping like that, it's not very comfortable."

Finally, he rolled into his back, pouting at her. "But Marinette, I'm so tiiirreeed," he whined. 

"I can see that, but you need to rest well if you're gonna talk to Ladybug tomorrow."

Right. He still needed to talk to Ladybug about Marinette knowing his identity and his father being Hawk Moth. He hadn't really had time to plan what he was going to say. How does that casually come up into conversation? Can it casually come up into conversation?

_Oh, hey Ladybug, yes, I did call you out here to talk. So, you know how the one rule we had was to not tell anyone our identities and make sure no one figured them out? Yeah, well, I messed up. Oh, and also, my dad is Hawk Moth._

Not exactly the best plan of what to say.

Adrien slowly sat up, rubbing at his eyes and yawning. "I don't even know what to tell her."

Marinette nodded, "Yeah, that's kinda hard to bring up. But I'm sure she'll understand, as long as you make it clear that you didn't out right tell me."

"And if she hates me for it? Takes Plagg away? Then what?"

She placed her hand on his and squeezed lightly, a reassuring smile in her face, "Don't worry, I don't think she could ever hate you."

Adrien decided he'd try to believe her. But she didn't know that he wasn't taking about Ladybug hating him for letting his identity get revealed. He was much more worried about how she'd react to Hawk Moth being right under his nose the entire time. Would she believe that he never knew? Would she forgive him for not seeing it sooner? He knew he would just have to wait and see.

* * *

The next day, Marinette knew she'd have to make some sort of excuse to leave after Adrien transformed to leave Ladybug a message. But she couldn't come up with anything. Saying she needed to go to the lobby would be random, and what would she even need to go there for?

Maybe if she said she was going to walk around the city for inspiration she could go alone, but that probably wouldn't happen. Wasn't there a park in New York somewhere? Central Park, was it? But that was too far. Somehow, she'd figure out a way to leave him a message agreeing to meet him at the Statue of Liberty.

It was around noon when Adrien transformed, someone knocked on their door. Frantic, Marinette shoved Chat Noir into the closet and closed the door. After that, she opened the door to their hotel room. In front of her stood a cleaning lady, saying that someone needed to talk to her in the lobby.

"What's their name?" Marinette asked, wary.

The lady shrugged, "No one in the lobby told me." With that, the woman turned on her heel and walked down the hallway, onto the next room that needed cleaning.

Marinette closed the room door then opened the closet door. "I'm going down to the lobby, apparently I'm needed there."

"What for?"

"They didn't say," she shrugged. "I'll be right back--"

Chat Noir ( _Adrien_ ) caught her wrist, "I'll go with you."

 _No_ , her mind protested, _this is my only chance to be able to get out and leave you a message._

"I'll be fine, it's just the lobby. Nothing can happen to me, it's not like I have crazy fangirls or fanboys after me."

While he still looked a bit wary, he let go of her wrist. "Yeah, you're right. But, uh," he rubbed the back of his neck, "can I have a good-bye kiss?" When she raised an eyebrow, he backtracked, "You-you don't have to! I was just-I guess I've watched too many romance movies and read too many romance novels. I--"

She cut off his rambling with a soft kiss. "Was that what you wanted?" 

"Uh, I, yeah." By then he had a deep flush peeking from under his mask. 

"Ok, bye!" 

"Yeah, bye."

Marinette tried not to think of how breathless his goodbye had been.

* * *

Once Marinette was gone, Chat Noir practically melted against the wall he'd been leaning against. His heart was beating quite fast; he hadn't expected that to actually work. He also hadn't really kissed her in a while.

A voice that sounded awfully like Plagg spoke in his mind, _The message. You have to send the message, kid._

Right. That. 

Chat Noir trotted out of the closet, to the balcony, then vaulted out to a random rooftop. Once settled, he opened the call option on his baton, then called Ladybug. As expected, she didn't pick up and it went to the voicemail.

**_"This is Ladybug, leave a message at the beep!" Beep._ **

He cleared his throat, and tried to swallow. His throat was uncomfortably dry. Rubbing the back of his neck, he spoke, "Uh, hey Ladybug. We need to talk. It's important. Like, really important. Can we meet at the Statue of Liberty at like, uh, seven tonight? Ok, erm, bye."

He clicked the end button, then extended his baton to get back to the hotel room. Once back, he detransformed and plopped on the couch, ready to figure out what to tell Ladybug. But how would he even bring it up? It's not something he can just casually bring up. But then again, she knew he called for something important and serious, so diving straight into it would probably be best, right? Besides, Ladybug liked honesty, didn't she?

But how would she react? How would she feel? He hadn't believed her when she thought Gabriel Agreste was Hawk Moth before, so why would she believe him? And how would she feel about him revealing his identity? She might not even know him. 

But what if she was someone he knew? Like, if she was Marinette. Sure, Marinette had been Multimouse and he saw Multimouse with Ladybug, but who knows? She'd had multiple miraculous with her, didn't she? What if was an illusion?

Adrien shook his head. He should be thinking about that. His only worry should be how to tell Ladybug the news. He shouldn't be trying to figure out her identity. She wouldn't want that. 

The boy sighed and watched Plagg eat Camembert on the other side of the couch. Maybe one day he'd know Ladybug's identity, but for then, he'd respect her boundaries.

* * *

Marinette was given yet another letter, addressed for her, when she arrived in the lobby. There was no way of identifying where it came from, and the people in the lobby just said the mailman had set it down saying some random kid had given it to him. The people in the lobby assumed Marinette would know who it was from, so she acted as though she did. 

But of course, Marinette didn't know anyone in New York. Why would she? So it meant it must've been from the same person who'd sent her a letter before. Looking at the slanted, curvy writing that embellished her name, she decided it was. Before opening the letter, she heard footsteps behind her and quickly stuffed it into her purse. 

When she glanced back, it was just another one of the cleaning ladies. Glancing around once more, Marinette slipped out of the hotel and into a nearby alley to transform.

* * *

"Hey, Marinette. Did you find out why you were needed at the lobby?" Adrien asked when Marinette was back in their room.

Marinette shrugged, "Wrong room number." Adrien nodded. "So, did you send out the message? Are you ready?"

"Uh, yes, I did send out the message, but as for whether or not I'm ready... I guess I am? I kinda have to be," he told her as she sat beside him on the couch.

She smiled at him warmly, grabbing his hand and squeezing it gently, "I'm sure everything will be fine."

Adrien hoped it would be, and for some reason, as he looked at Marinette, he felt it would. He squeezed her hand back, "Yeah, it should be."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, it's not very eventful, but I promise the next chapter will be.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One line from the letter was sure to stay with her, "Hawk Moth's apple falls very far from the tree." The idea of Hawk Moth being a parent made her sick. She felt horrible for whoever the child was.
> 
> Chat Noir paced near the top of the Statue of Liberty. He'd arrived just as the last boat that had gone there left, and immediately started pacing. His tail swished agitatedly, he kept tapping his fingers, wringing his hands together, fidgeting with his ring, his heart was beating irregularly fast, and his throat felt dry as a desert in the summer. He checked the time; 7:08 PM. 
> 
> Ladybug still wasn't there.
> 
> In which almost all the cards are placed on the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Thanks to my break I was able to write enough for another chapter, yay!! Let me know what you think.

Marinette took the opportunity to go into the bathroom for a shower as soon as possible. She felt bad for turning the water on and leaving it pouring down when she wasn't using it, but she needed to read that letter. Taking the envelope out of her purse and flattening it, she gingerly ripped it open and unfolded the paper inside.

_Hello Ms. Dupain-Cheng,_

_It's me again. By now I would think you know who your partner is, but you must be wondering about the identity of your enemy and what brought him to New York. I may have been the cause of him coming, since I know who Ladybug and Chat Noir are. Before you panic, no, I didn't tell him who they were, but I gave him an anonymous tip that whoever they were, should be near him in New York City._

_So, now, here's a little clue to who Hawk Moth may be. You know him. You know him and you know his family. But there's something you should know about his family. People usually say, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree," but in this case, Hawk Moth's apple falls very far from the tree. You'll get it eventually._

_\- S. A._

Marinette blinked at the letter. That time it was signed. Sure, it wasn't much, but it was progress. Maybe, by the next letter, there would be more to who the mysterious writer was. Whatever happened, she would need to tell Adrien about the letters soon. Whether she'd do that when they were partners or...whatever they were, she wasn't sure yet.

One line from the letter was sure to stay with her, _"Hawk Moth's apple falls very far from the tree."_ The idea of Hawk Moth being a parent made her sick. She felt horrible for whoever the child was.

A knock on the door startled Marinette. "Just wanted to let you know I'm going to head out in a few minutes," called Adrien's voice.

Was it already close to seven? How long did it take for her to find time to "shower"? She checked her phone, 6:55 PM. She needed to hurry up. Scrambling, Marinette folded the letter and placed it in her purse, then actually showered. By the time she was out, Adrien was gone, and it was 7:03 PM. 

She was late.

* * *

Chat Noir paced near the top of the Statue of Liberty. He'd arrived just as the last boat that had gone there left, and immediately started pacing. His tail swished agitatedly, he kept tapping his fingers, wringing his hands together, fidgeting with his ring, his heart was beating irregularly fast, and his throat felt dry as a desert in the summer. He checked the time; 7:08 PM. 

Ladybug still wasn't there.

Just like how she still wasn't there when he check the time when he'd gotten there, and the other ten times he'd checked. Sure, he'd seen her message, and she said she would be there, but what if she never came? He stopped pacing and sat down, his leg bouncing nervously. Where was she? He stood up again, his foot tapping speedily. 

Then she arrived, tumbling through the air and landing on top of him in an unusual clumsy fashion. It was sort of like she was back to being new at being Ladybug, like when they'd first met and she'd been clumsy and not confident at all. Something was wrong.

"Sorry, sorry!" she yelped as she scrambled off him. "I'm sorry for being late, I lost track of time."

Chat blinked at her. She was acting peculiar for Ladybug, but something about it all was very familiar. It was definitely similar to the way someone else in his life used to act, and still did sometimes. He shook his head. No, he wasn't there to figure out his lady's identity, he was there to tell her about much more important things.

"It's, uh, it's alright," he told her as he sat down, motioning for her to sit beside him. "Ladybug, as you know, I needed to tell you some important things. So, I'll tell you from least to most importance, alright?"

She paused a little, then nodded, "Ok, go ahead."

"So, first, there's a girl, she's, she's really amazing. I don't know exactly what we are, yet, but I am pretty serious about her." He thought about the small kiss from earlier that day he'd received from Marinette. They hadn't really talked about what they were, but if a small kiss like that left him practically swooning, then he definitely could not go without trying to see how they would work out if they got serious. 

Ladybug smiled, maybe a little wider than he would've expected her to, "That's great, a-Chat. I'm sure she feels the same way."

Chat Noir smiled shyly, "I hope so." He cleared his throat, "But, erm, she kinda found out my identity?" 

He flinched, expecting some sort of outburst or glowering look of disapproval, but Ladybug simply kept staring at him, as though waiting for more explanation. So, he continued, "I needed to clear my head from, uh, something else I'm about to tell you, and she saw me detransform when I came back to our hotel room." He then turned bright red, realizing how that might've sounded. "We-we weren't, uh doing anything that's not appropriate! She's just here for work like I am."

At this, Ladybug chuckled, "I wasn't assuming anything, kitty, don't worry. Anything else?"

Chat's heart sped up and his chest tightened. This was happening. He was there with her to tell her this very important thing, and he'd have to hope that she wouldn't hate him forever. He would have to hope she wouldn't take Plagg away, take his freedom away. He suddenly was in desperate need of water, but there wasn't anything. He gulped, clearing his throat, turning his head to stare at the starry sky. He couldn't look at her.

"I... I found out who Hawk Moth is."

"That's great! How did you find out? Who is he?" He could hear her smile, and he wished he could do the same.

He hung his head, staring at his ring and twisting it, "I, uh." There was a lump in his throat he couldn't swallow, and tears gathering in his eyes that wouldn't go away, no matter how rapidly he blinked. _Why was he crying?_

"Chat?" Her voice was soft and laced with concern, coaxing him to look at her, but he couldn't.

A tear slipped down his cheek, then another. "Whenever I'm targeted by an akumatized victim as a civilian, which happens almost as often as Chloe used to be targeted, he always intervenes. I never understood why, but, now I know."

He heard her gasp and mutter something that sounded like, _"The apple falls very far from the tree,"_ but he wasn't sure.

"Hawk Moth," his voice broke. He couldn't say it, he just couldn't. "Hawk Moth is..."

"Hawk Moth is Gabriel Agreste," Ladybug finished for him.

Chat froze, then whipped his head up to stare at her. "How...?" Only Marinette knew. No one else knew who he was, so how did Ladybug...? He blinked at her again, taking in her bright blue eyes, her midnight hair, her pigtails, the few freckles the peeked from under her mask. "Marinette," he said in awe.

* * *

Ladybug wrapped her arms around Chat Noir, holding him close to her. She ran her fingers through his hair as he clutched her tightly, his nose in the crook of her neck. He was shaking, silently crying, but every now and then a quiet sob could be heard. Every time, her heart broke a little more.

She was angry. Not at him, never at him, but at his father. Could she even call him that anymore? She already didn't like him, with the way he locked up Adrien if he didn't need him to model, and how when he did he'd keep him modeling from dawn to dusk. Whenever she thought of all the horrible things Adrien said his father had told, she always found herself crying. 

How could a parent be so wrapped up in their own grieving, that they fail to see their own child breaking with every horrible word they would speak? And could that even be called grieving? Ladybug decided it couldn't. It had been four years since Adrien's mother had passed, and throughout that entire time, all Adrien did was try to make his father happy. He did all the modeling and activities his father asked him to do, only to end up with a father who would nitpick and look at every miniscule mistake. Adrien just wanted to be loved, he just wanted to make his father proud, and nothing ever seemed to be enough.

On top of everything, Gabriel Agreste, the man who shouldn't even be called a father, was Hawk Moth. All the times Adrien said his father was "just grieving", his father was actually terrorizing the citizens of Paris. But for what? Why couldn't he just grieve, move on, and become a better father like any normal person would? Did he forget about his wonderful son?

Ladybug's hold on Chat Noir tightened. Once they got back to Paris, she'd make sure Hawk Moth was defeated once and for all. She was sure the other heroes would be more than happy to help. Sure, their identities had been revealed, but that wouldn't matter if they were to defeat Hawk Moth anyway. 

She took a deep breath to calm herself. She'd wanted to tell Adrien about the letters, but that was enough news for one night. Once he seemed like he calmed down, she held his face in her hands and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. "Let's go back to the hotel, you seem tired," she murmured.

He nodded, but didn't say anything. Seeing him like that broke her heart even more. Hawk Moth would pay.

* * *

From his own hotel room, Gabriel Agreste paced, looking at a letter he received earlier that day. Judging by the fact that it was anonymous except for the initials on the bottom, he decided it was his mysterious helper. Whoever they were, they knew who he was and who Ladybug and Chat Noir were. All he knew about those two, was that they were teenagers, he knew them, and he was supposed to know one of them very well.

He read a few lines from his letter over and over again, _"Chat Noir is not just an enemy, Mr. Agreste. He is so much more than that to you."_

But Gabriel couldn't understand that. There were very few teenagers he could say he knew, like Adrien's friends and acquaintances, but he wasn't very close to any of them. As far as he knew, Chat Noir was a young man, not a young woman, which only left room for the DJ, the guitar player, or even, though he highly doubted it, his son. But his son was too busy and too well-guarded to be his enemy. And the other two had been outed as other heroes years prior.

The idea of him possibly killing his son many times did not bode well with him. But no, Adrien was not Chat Noir. There was no way he would believe that. Maybe Chat Noir was Felix, his nephew? Who knew what that boy was up to, perhaps he really was Chat Noir. 

Gabriel's head pounded and his eyes hurt from straining them too much. Shaking his head, he grabbed some water and got ready to sleep. He would think about those things in the morning. Or perhaps never at all. The goal was to get the ladybug and black cat miraculous, make a wish, and bring his wife back. The identities of the heroes were none of his concern. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what'd you think? Let me know!!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette tells Adrien about the letters, and the kwamis feel something is off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter you'll see the start of my headcanon. Also, sorry for the short chapter!

When Adrien woke up in the morning, he had trouble opening his eyes for they felt as though they'd been sealed shut. After all the crying that he'd done the night before, it was a miracle they hadn't been. He sighed happily as he gathered his bearings. He felt warm, like when he'd have nightmares as a child and his mother would let him sleep in her arms. He'd always wake up feeling warm and safe the next morning, and he'd look up at her and smile appreciatively. 

When he looked up at whoever was holding him, he almost expected to find his mother. Instead he found Marinette, and suddenly everything from the night before came crashing back on top of him. His hold tightened on Marinette. She was still there, she didn't push him away, in fact, she'd held him to her and let him cry. It had been so long since he'd received a hug, since he'd truly been held, since he wasn't alone when he cried.

When he glanced at his hand he found his ring was still there, and when he glanced around the room, he found Plagg snoozing beside Tikki. His lady had turned out to be his princess, and she was still there by his side despite everything she knew. 

Brushing the fringe away from her eyes gently, Adrien pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. When she stirred and blearily opened her eyes, he murmured, "Good morning, m'lady."

She smiled at him, her fingers lightly playing with his hair, "Good morning, kitty." She sat up and he moved to sit beside her, then her features became concerned, "How are you feeling?"

Adrien looked away, his hand rubbing the back of his neck before he sighed, "I don't know, really. I was angry, and then betrayed and sad, but now? I'm not sure. I guess I'm disappointed."

After so many years of excuses, after so many years of reasons why Gabriel couldn't ever be there for his son, he'd been hiding away somewhere sending out evil butterflies. Adrien had always told his friends his dad was grieving, he'd even convinced himself that it could take four years to grieve. He always did everything he was told to do, he stood strong as he was berated for being late or for not doing well enough on a test or for not trying hard enough at a fencing competition his father hadn't even attended.

At that point, Adrien was tired and disappointed that apparently he would never be enough for his father. He didn't even want to call him that anymore. Maybe he would just be Gabriel.

He felt Marinette's hand fall on his and squeeze it gently. When he met her brilliant blue eyes, he got her message. _"I got you. I'm here for you. You and me against the world,"_ her eyes told him. And Adrien knew that he wouldn't be alone in this.

* * *

Later that day, Marinette finally decided that they really needed to lay all the cards on the table. Every single one of them. While for Adrien it seemed like that had already been done, Marinette was still the only one who knew about the letters, and she didn't want to keep that from him.

Surely getting all the news out would be better than waiting until something terrible happened and she had to tell him, right? And it's not something that terrible, it's just someone who happens to know not only their identities but Hawk Moth's identity and probably Mayura's as well. Not terrible, right?

Marinette tapped her pencil anxiously against her sketchbook as she sat on the balcony. Behind her, Adrien closed the balcony door and placed a cup of water on the table in front of her. Once he sat down, she closed her sketchbook and took out the letters. Adrien raised an eyebrow when he saw them, very clearly confused. 

_You can do this, Marinette,_ a Tikki-sounding voice told her.

She took a deep breath, then met Adrien's emerald gaze. "So, there's something I need to tell you." She set down her sketchbook and sat up straight. "I've gotten a couple letters, and I think they're both from the same anonymous person," she unfolded the letters and handed them to him, "It's not super serious, but they seem to know our identities, Hawk Moth's identity, and they might even know Mayura's identity."

 _Not super serious?_ _This is very serious!_ Ah, there was her Marinette mind voice. 

The boy looked at the letters, then back at her, eyes wide. He then began to read, his eyebrows rising the more he read. When he finished reading, he simply said, "Well now I know what you meant when you said, _'The apple falls very far from the tree.'_ "

She blinked at him. That was all he had to say? Nothing more? "Er, anything else you want to add?"

He nodded, "It concerns me that someone would know all these identities before we did. And I really don't know how they can possibly know, but there's nothing we can do right now to find them. All we know is their initials are S. A., but that doesn't provide us a location, a gender, an age, or any sort of explanation."

That was, in fact, true. While Marinette had been ready to jump into action and find the person with help from Adrien, she hadn't thought about that. For once in their partnership, Adrien was the level headed one and she was ready to jump into action.

"So, what do we do?" Marinette asked.

"We wait for another letter."

* * *

Plagg glanced at Tikki. He wasn't sure if she got the same feeling he did whenever the letters were mentioned. If she did, then they both knew that someone they hadn't seen in centries had come back. But why would they? What was so terrible about this villain that was worse than the others they'd encountered? 

Plagg just didn't understand. A man like Gabriel Agreste had everything anyone could want, except for his wife. Naturally, that would mean that he wanted to bring his wife back, which wasn't the worst they'd ever had to face. What did they sense? What did he not know about? 

"Can you feel it, too?" Tikki asked him.

"I think they're back."


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "How did you get in here?" Adrien asked, moving back in front of Marinette protectively. "Who are you?"
> 
> "I'm the one who sent Marinette the letters. As for your first question... I have my way," came her cryptic reply.
> 
> Marinette frowned. She was the one who sent the letters? Just some random, young teenage girl? How did she know them? How did she know their secrets? It didn't make sense.
> 
> "Do you work for someone?" Marinette asked. Maybe that would explain things. Surely, a young girl wouldn't be working alone. Right?
> 
> "I work for no one but the universe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank God for my four day weekend thanks to President's day! It was a nice little break from school, so I decided to write! I'm sorry I don't update much, but I think once a month is as much as I can do. Thank you all for your patience. Enjoy!

It was sunset when Marinette and Adrien arrived back to the hotel after dinner. While Marinette was anxiously waiting for another letter, Adrien would give her hand reassuring squeezes and smile to keep her from spiralling. She was glad to have him by her side.

When Adrien opened the door and stepped inside, he froze in front of her. She tried looking around him, but couldn't see anything. In her purse, she felt Tikki buzzing anxiously. 

"Before you go and attack me or something," a young female voice said, "I want you to hear me out. I'm not here to harm anyone."

Adrien slowly moved aside and let Marinette in, closing the door behind him. Lounging on the coach was a young teenage girl, probably no older than fourteen, with tan skin and dark, curly hair pulled back into a ponytail. She seemed completely relaxed and at ease, her honey colored eyes watching them carefully. 

"How did you get in here?" Adrien asked, moving back in front of Marinette protectively. "Who are you?"

"I'm the one who sent Marinette the letters. As for your first question... I have my way," came her cryptic reply.

Marinette frowned. She was the one who sent the letters? Just some random, young teenage girl? How did she know them? How did she know their secrets? It didn't make sense.

"Do you work for someone?" Marinette asked. Maybe that would explain things. Surely, a young girl wouldn't be working alone. Right?

"I work for no one but the universe."

Marinette glanced at Adrien finding him looking at her for pleadingly. As though he were asking if she understood anything the girl was saying. She shrugged, and he nodded slowly. 

The girl in front of them sighed, then snapped her fingers, promptly turning into a grown woman with golden eyes and flowing white dress. Marinette's eyes widened. Who was this person? 

"Like I said, I work for no one but the universe," she said simply with a light shrug. "Anyway, I came here to warn you," she continued, suddenly serious. "Marinette, you saw what happened with the failed timeline." Marinette nodded, cold, blue eyes and destruction flashing in her mind. "That happened because Hawk Moth didn't take Adrien not wanting to help him kindly. To prevent this from happening again, you'll have to take an approach that'll make sure Hawk Moth can't akumatized anyone."

"How could we possibly do that?" Adrien asked.

"You'll figure it out. You two always do," she said confidently. "Be careful, the world's fate may potentially be in your hands. Toodle-loo!" 

Then she vanished.

"Failed timeline?" Adrien asked, after a long pause. "What's that all about? I don't remember a failed timeline."

Marinette grimaced, then say down on he couch, patting the space beside her. Adrien promptly sat there. "Long story short, that day when I left a barrett from your, uh, 'fan club in Brazil', was also a day that I had to fight an akuma on my own."

Before Adrien could interject, she continued, "Bunnyx found me when I had left after dropping that off, and it had been signed by me, which is something you wouldn't remember. To sum it all up, there was a timeline gone wrong where you knew my identity and...and somehow you got akumatized and destroyed the world. You told me it was our love that did that, and for a while it scared me. But it didn't make sense, and I knew I shouldn't have believed it because in that timeline, you were akumatized." Marinette sighed, a weight lifting off her shoulders after finally being able to tell Adrien about it.

"So, that's why she doesn't want anyone to get akumatized, right? Because she doesn't want me to end the world again?" Adrien asked, eyes downcast. 

_Oh, no_ , Marinette thought, _now I made him feel bad. How do I fix this?_

"You won't! I'll make sure everything will be fine. It's you and me against the world, remember? We'll be fine," she assured, squeezing his hand lightly. 

Adrien gave her a small, but weak, smile. She knew he trusted her, but she wasn't sure how much he trusted himself. She didn't really know how to help him with that either, even though she wished she could hold him until all the pain and insecurities he harbored went away. 

He cleared his throat, running a hand through his hair as he leaned back against the couch, "So, I guess now we've got to plan how to take down Hawk Moth?"

Marinette nodded slowly. "But, um, you don't have to fight him. We'll wait until we got back to Paris and I'll figure things out there."

"What? Why?"

She blinked at him owlishly. "Uh, because I don't want to force you to fight your own dad?"

Adrien shook his head. "I'm not letting you fight him without me. And, honestly, I don't know if I can even call him my dad anymore," he said bitterly.

Marinette frowned slightly. She wished she could comfort Adrien better. Hand squeezes, hugs, and smiles only did so much. She didn't know if anything she could do would really help him. There was a lot she knew, but also so much that she didn't. And she couldn't exactly relate to his pain. Her parents were amazing, though sometimes nosy, but at least they were present in her life and showed love to her.

Adrien shook his head a little, seemingly trying to lighten his mood, "Sorry for that."

"What? No, don't apologize. Adrien, you can talk to me. I might not know what to say or do, but I'll always listen." That was true. She really didn't know what to say or do, but she knew from experience that sometimes having someone to listen was all it took to feel a little better.

"Yeah? Thanks, Princess."

* * *

In his pocket, Adrien felt Plagg buzzing anxiously. Finally, the kwami flew out, flying around frantically. Adrien had never seen the creature in such a state, not even when he was excited to eat his Camembert. 

"Plagg, what's wrong?" Marinette asked. Clearly, she had realized that Plagg's behavior was off.

"I feel like I knew that person, but I can't remember why or when I knew them," Plagg replied, annoyance filling his nasally voice.

"You felt it, too?" Tikki asked. Adrien hadn't noticed her appearance, but she looked just as anxious as Plagg did.

Adrien glanced at Marinette, hoping she understood _something_ , but she looked just as confused as he felt. What was going on? "Ok, uh, can one of you explain something?"

Plagg groaned, "That's the problem! I can't explain everything if I don't know why I feel like this."

Adrien stared at Tikki. She was the more sensible one, surely she had some sort of an explanation. But Tikki had a pained expression on her face, like someone who was trying to remember something, but not matter how much they raked through their mind, they couldn't. 

Marinette sighed dejectedly, "So, you're saying you know this random person with crazy powers who 'works for the universe', but you don't know how?" Plagg and Tikki nodded. "Ok, well, how do you not know?"

Marinette's question was very valid. If Adrien ever met someone as crazy as the person they'd just met, he would remember the exact date, and maybe even time, they showed up. How could anyone forget something like that?

"Well, Pigtails," Plagg drawled, "when you've been around for eons, you tend to forget things from a few centuries ago or from a few millennia ago. As humans, you guys have short lives, so it would be easier to remember something crazy, than it would be for us."

Centuries? Millennia? Did that mean that that person had been around for hundreds or maybe thousands of years? But how? And how did they have such great powers? Adrien frowned as his brain started to throb in pain. None of this made any sense.

Tikki sighed, rubbing her temples, "I think we met them a long time ago. Maybe around the time we were put into these vessels?"

Adrien's jaw dropped. Wasn't that forever ago?

Plagg nodded slowly, "I think so, too."

"But how? There's no way she could've been that old," came Marinette's out burst.

"You saw how she changed her appearance, though," Adrien quipped. "For all we know, she could be super old, and maybe not even female."

Marinette gaped, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. If the circumstances were different, Adrien might've chuckled with endearment at her expression. But now, he knew he probably didn't look any better, trying to wrap his head around all that was happening. Maybe one day he'd learn physics that would explain that.

Marinette took a deep breath, probably to calm herself, and asked, "So is she good, or evil?"

Plagg shrugged, "Well, kids, sometimes people are neither. Good and evil is based off of perspective and each person's moral compass. So, basically, I don't know."

At that Adrien finally lost it, laughing so hard his eyes watered and his sides hurt. Beside him Marinette was giggling uncontrollably, too. Maybe it was the crazy situation, or maybe it was just what Plagg said. For once, Adrien thought Plagg was being philosophical, but he had just been coming up with a fancy way of saying he really didn't know.

Once Marinette and Adrien calmed down, Adrien realized Plagg did have a point. Good and evil was based off of perspective, as was right and wrong. Maybe that was why Hawk Moth didn't stop akumatizing people. Maybe he thought he was doing the right thing. 

But he wasn't. And Adrien was going to make sure that no one else would be akumatized once he got to Paris. It was time to defeat Hawk Moth, once and for all.


End file.
